Central Maryland Transit Development Plan Report Summary_Howard.pdf · MTA has a framework that...

Central Maryland Transit Development Plan

Draft Final Report, November 21, 2017

Key Sections Document Focused on Howard County

This “key sections” document is a compilation of selected pages from the Draft Final Central Maryland Transit Development Plan (TDP). It focuses on the Howard County portion of the Regional Transportation Agency (RTA) service area.

The intent is to provide an abbreviated, overview version of the full plan which itself totals approximately 580 pages.

Half of this 111 page key sections document comprises route maps and descriptions. Because the pages are extracted from the full plan there may be some hanging sections or sentences at the bottom of pages.

For details on proposed route changes readers should refer to the full TDP http://www.kfhgroup.com/centralmd/transitplan.html. It devotes two or three pages to each route.

It is important to note that the TDP sets out a broad framework for changes. After the TDP is adopted the key TDP recommendations cannot be implemented without public hearings such as on specific route proposals. At these hearings, which Howard County plans to hold in spring/summer 2018, additional detail will be provided such as proposed timetable changes.

http://www.kfhgroup.com/centralmd/transitplan.html

This report documents the results and recommendations of the short range (five year)Transit Development Plan (TDP) for the Central Maryland area including Anne ArundelCounty (except the City of Annapolis1), Howard County, and Northern Prince George’sCounty including the City of Laurel. The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) requires theLocally Operated Transit Systems (LOTS) in Maryland to conduct a TDP update every fiveyears. The LOTS use their TDPs as a basis for preparing their Annual Transportation Plans(ATPs) that serve as their Annual Grant Application (AGP) for transit funding. The TDPplanning process builds on or formulates the county’s or region’s goals and objectives fortransit, reviews and assesses current transit services, identifies unmet transit needs, anddevelops an appropriate course of action to address the objectives in the short range future,typically a five year horizon. A completed TDP serves as a guide for the local transit system,providing a roadmap for implementing service and/or organizational changes, improvements,and/or potential expansion during the five year period.

This particular TDP is a significant development in the planning process for transit in thisregion. Previously TDPs were developed separately for Howard County, Anne ArundelCounty, and for Connect a Ride (now RTA) services in Prince George’s County. In addition,the staff of the RTA (and predecessor organizations) and the counties performed a great dealof short range operational planning as the organizational changes in the region progressed.The previous TDPs for Howard and Anne Arundel Counties were separate plans, but theywere done at the same time with the thought that they could be joined at the match lines toresult in a regional plan. To an extent, the Fort Meade BRAC Transit and Ridesharing PlanningStudy of 2010 was the first regional transit plan to combine the local service plans. Howeverthis current Central Maryland Transit Development Plan will be the first fully regional transitplan to encompass this unique multi jurisdictional region.

The fully regional nature of this TDP is reflected in the scoping process that led to the finalScope of Work. A scoping committee including representatives of the MTA, Howard County,Anne Arundel County Planning and Zoning, the Baltimore Metropolitan PlanningOrganization, the RTA, and the consultant met three times and provided comments on draftscope and budget documents. While there is a standard set of tasks included in a TDP and theMTA has a framework that must be followed, there is significant latitude within theseguidelines. This scoping committee provided direction that was reflected in the final scope ofservices and eventually in this Central Maryland Transit Development Plan document.

Chapter 2 presents and analyzes demographic data and land use to assess the need for transitin the Central Maryland region, including the area served by the Regional Transit Agency(RTA) of Central Maryland. It includes an analysis of population and demographic data, andanalysis of land use and travel patterns that provide a context for evaluating the existingtransit network. It includes a general population profile, identification and evaluation ofunderserved population subgroups, and a review of the demographic characteristics pertinentto a Title VI analysis. Data sources include the U.S. Census Bureau and American CommunitySurvey (ACS) estimates. This chapter also presents a land use profile based on the major tripgenerators and commuting patterns in Anne Arundel County, Howard County, and theportions of Northern Prince George’s County served by the RTA. This information will informthe evaluation of the current transit network and guide the development of servicealternatives and subsequent plan recommendations.

This chapter is divided into the following two sections.

Population ProfileCommunity and Land Use

This section provides an analysis of current and future population trends for the CentralMaryland region, as well as an analysis of the demographics of population groups that oftendepend on transportation options beyond an automobile.

Table 2 1 presents information on population trends for the state of Maryland and the CentralMaryland region for the period from 1990 to 2015. During the 25 year period, the state, region,and county all experienced population growth. The region as a whole experienced apopulation growth of over 40 percent for this period, led by a 62 percent growth in HowardCounty’s population. The City of Laurel and Anne Arundel County (less the City of Annapolis)also exceeded statewide growth rates with population increases over 30 percent, compared tothe statewide figure of 24 percent. Of note is that this combined regional population(846,403) exceeds that of the City of Baltimore (621,849 in 2015) and is close to the overall

Central Maryland 2-12 Transit Development Plan

Chapter 2: Demographics and Land Use

Figure 2‐6: Transit Need Index‐Based on Density of High Needs Populations

American Community Survey (ACS) 5 Year Sample – 2011 to 2015

When combining the demographic, land use, and commuter trends contained within thissection the following needs and themes emerge:

This is a very large region, with a population that exceeds that of the City of Baltimore(621,849 in 2015) and is close to the overall population of Prince George’s County(909,535 in 2015—some of which is included in the Central Maryland estimate).

The region’s population has grown substantially, and is continuing to grow.

The region’s population of seniors is projected to increase substantially in realnumbers and as a percentage of the population.

The density of population varies considerably across the region, with concentrations ofresidential density in all three counties served by the RTA. Much of the residentialdevelopment is lower density single family, though recent development patternsinclude a balance of multi family and single family residential construction.

There is a significant population of persons with a high potential need for transitservices based on income, auto ownership, age, and disability status. Transitconnections are needed to link the residential areas housing this population toemployment and services.

There is a substantial amount of employment across the region, and substantialcommuting of residents to employment in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Inaddition, many commuters staying within the region cross county lines to reach theirjobs, particularly from Howard County to Western Anne Arundel and vice versa.

The existence of these regional travel demand patterns means that there is a need forboth local transit within the counties and regional connections to ensure that workerscan reach employment within the region and in the two metro areas (Baltimore andWashington, D.C.).

A significant outreach effort was conducted to obtain input from riders, the general public,and stakeholders. The information and opinions gathered from these efforts are presentedin this chapter. The following outreach was conducted:

Fixed route rider surveyMobility/paratransit rider surveyCommunity surveyInteractive online mapPublic meetingsStakeholder interviewsPublic website

Rider surveys were conducted on all RTA operated services and were available in the threelanguages that are predominant in the service area – English, Spanish, and Korean. Thecommunity survey was conducted through the assistance of local government and nonprofit agencies. All three surveys were also available online.

Five public meetings (three in Howard County, one in Anne Arundel County, and one inthe City of Laurel) were held at different locations throughout the service area. Theselocations included:

George Howard BuildingNorth Laurel Community CenterCharles I. Ecker Business Training CenterArundel Mills MallLaurel Municipal Center

Stakeholder interviews were conducted with local agencies and advocacy groups. A list ofagencies interviewed is provided in Appendix A. During the project period a CentralMaryland website with information about the project and public input opportunities wasavailable. The website can be reached at this address:http://www.kfhgroup.com/centralmd/transitplan.html.

In addition to background information about the plan, there was a project schedule,public input section with links to the surveys and an interactive Wikimap that allowedpeople to draw and comment on a map. The website also had information about all of the

Reliable buses

More frequent buses

Sunday service

SUNDAY SERVICE

More Saturday service

INCREASED SATURDAY SERVICE

More punctual buses

5 top things passengers want

I M P R O V E M

E N T S

Work

5x/week No Vehicle

25 – 49

Age

R I D

E R

C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S

S E R V I C

E N E E D S

70% Meets need

Areas/destinations needing connections:Howard County

Clarksville Elkridge to Ellicott City Fulton/Maple

Lawn/APL Turf Valley/Chapelgate

Anne Arundel County Annapolis Glen Burnie Crofton Maryland Live/BWI Pasadena

Northern Prince George’s Co./City of Laurel Bowie (from Anne Arundel County)

Greenbelt New Carrollton

1x/week

65 +

Age

< $20,000/year Medical

Fixed‐Route Rider Paratransit Rider

RTA Rider

Survey Results

AND more connections to Baltimore

cgraham

Text Box

This page extracted from Technical Memorandum 1

This TDP is intended to address future transit services over a five year period in HowardCounty and Anne Arundel County, and this chapter provides an overview of existing transitservices in the region. Howard and Anne Arundel Counties are jointly served by the RegionalTransit Agency of Central Maryland (RTA), which provides fixed route service in bothcounties, ADA complementary paratransit, and demand response service for seniors andpersons with disabilities in Howard County. The RTA also provides fixed route service inPrince George’s County, which is addressed in this plan as it is an integral part of RTA serviceofferings.

The study region is also served by other transit providers. Central Maryland is locatedbetween the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metropolitan areas, and there are transit routesfrom each urban area linking them with the RTA, including Maryland Transit Administration(MTA) services from Howard and Anne Arundel Counties to Baltimore; and WashingtonMetropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) services providing connections from AnneArundel County (Thurgood Marshall Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) andCrofton) to the Washington Metro rail system; and in the City of Laurel and Prince George’sCounty. In addition, there are regional services provided by the MTA through its MARCcommuter rail services and commuter bus program. There are also intercity connections inthe region, including Amtrak.

Specialized transportation services, including demand response service for seniors andpersons with disabilities are provided by the Anne Arundel County Office of Transportation(OOT), and similar services are provided by the RTA for Howard County. Other specializedtransportation providers focus on the needs of particular populations. Finally, there arenumerous private taxi firms, and ridesourcing or transportation network companies (TNCs)such as Uber and Lyft.

This section begins by examining the transit services provided by the RTA in Anne Arundel,Howard and Prince George’s Counties, an overview of transit services in the region, and areview of transportation services, such as human service and specialized transportation.


Chapter 4: Existing Services

RTA - EXISTING SERVICES

The RTA operates fixed‐route and demand‐response services within Anne Arundel, Howard, northern Prince George’s Counties and the City of Laurel (see Figure 4‐1). The RTA service area is located in the largely suburban counties between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. in Maryland. Transit connections are located throughout the service area and to connect passengers to Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Figure 4‐1: Central Maryland RTA Service Area


Chapter 4: Existing Services

Table 4‐2: System Wide Performance Statistics and Performance

Route Unlinked Passenger Trips (1)

Vehicle Service Hours (2)

Financial

Farebox Recovery Ratio

Local Recovery Ratio (6)

Passengers per Service Hour (7)

Cost per Trip (8) Operating

Cost (3) Farebox

Revenue (4)

Fare Revenue

per Passenger

(5)

201/J 77,556 8,092 $610,380 $105,017 $1.35 17% 68.2% 9.58 $7.87 202/K 93,254 9,109 $687,092 $126,273 $1.35 18% 68.2% 10.24 $7.37 203/M 8,938 3,514 $265,061 $12,103 $1.35 5% 68.1% 2.54 $29.66 301/A 34,149 4,497 $339,209 $46,240 $1.35 14% 19.5% 7.59 $9.93 302/G 114,453 9,752 $735,593 $154,978 $1.35 21% 19.6% 11.74 $6.43 401/Green 179,063 8,922 $672,986 $140,393 $0.78 21% 70.2% 20.07 $3.76 404/Orange 84,258 9,388 $708,137 $66,062 $0.78 9% 70.4% 8.98 $8.40 405/Yellow 81,230 9,558 $720,960 $63,688 $0.78 9% 70.1% 8.50 $8.88 406/Red 171,876 19,905 $1,501,434 $134,758 $0.78 9% 63.7% 8.63 $8.74 407/Brown 128,783 11,399 $859,827 $100,971 $0.78 12% 70.2% 11.30 $6.68 408/Gold 42,682 7,830 $590,617 $33,464 $0.78 6% 70.4% 5.45 $13.84 409/Purple 61,080 7,933 $598,386 $47,889 $0.78 8% 53.9% 7.70 $9.80 501/Silver 194,107 16,357 $1,233,809 $152,188 $0.78 12% 70.2% 11.87 $6.36 502/B 77,673 10,188 $768,481 $105,175 $1.35 14% 19.5% 7.62 $9.89 503/E 92,850 14,169 $1,068,768 $125,726 $1.35 12% 19.5% 6.55 $11.51 TOTAL 1,441,952 150,613 $11,360,739 $1,414,926 $0.98 12% 54.8% 9.22 $7.88

Successful Acceptable Needs Review

Based on the review of existing services, one can make some general observations about theexisting RTA services:

Ridership

Overall ridership has declined considerably since its FY 2015 high, with the loss of another175,000 fixed route trips in FY 2017 (a 22% decline from the peak year). Although low gasprices and the growth of transportation network alternatives are likely factors, given thecontinuing growth of population and employment in the service area, a significant factor inthe decline in ridership has to be poor service quality, particularly late running buses andunreliable service. These problems combine with circuitous routing to make for long andunpredictable travel times. Many passengers must transfer (sometimes more than once) toreach destinations, and these issues affect the ability to make timely transfers. It is likely thatmany passengers seek alternatives if they can.

Ridership data at the stop level identified three patterns. First, the majority of the ridershipoccurs at five locations: Arundel Mills Mall, Towne Centre Laurel, Columbia Mall, CromwellLight Rail Station, Odenton MARC Station. These locations are likely to be one end of the tripfor a majority of riders. Second, there are routes with steady ridership along the alignment.Those routes include: 201/J, 401/Green, 405/Yellow, 406/Red, 407/Brown, 408/Gold,409/Purple, 501/Silver, and 503/E. Third, there are routes with high clusters of ridership alongthe alignment, and other segments with no ridership. Those routes include: 202/K, 203/M,301/A, 302/G, 404/Orange, and 502/B. Also of note, Saturday ridership levels on the 302/G and501/Silver are comparable to weekday ridership levels.

The highest ridership routes are those that link the most activity centers. For example, the501/Silver transports the most passengers. This route serves six major activity centers, and twotransfer locations, one of which connects passengers to Washington, D.C. and two toBaltimore. Similarly, the 401/Green route links four major activity centers in Howard County.It has 30 minute headways (as do the 203/M and 406/Red), but it also achieves the highestproductivity in terms of boardings per service hour—reflecting the demand between activitycenters.

System wide, there are 9.22 passenger boardings per hour. While twelve routes performwithin a /+4 difference of the average, one route has thirteen boardings above the average,and one route performs well below the average. The 401/Green is the top performing routewith 23 boardings per hour. Factors contributing to the route’s high performance are (1) long

span of service, (2) 30 minute peak hour frequencies, (3) connection to multiple routes, and(4) serves three activity centers. The 203/M, the lowest ranking route, only served one activitycenter and one transit center—during the course of the study it was discontinued andreplaced by a new route, the 504.

Understanding transfer patterns is critical from a service evaluation standpoint. While thisreview did not conduct a transfer analysis, based on boarding and alighting data, evidenceidentifies locations where passengers transfer to other buses and other transit services. Basedon this review of existing conditions, the following locations are identified as primary transitfacilities: Arundel Mills Mall, Towne Centre Laurel, Columbia Mall, and the MD Food Center.The RTA also serves Cromwell Light Rail Station, Odenton MARC Station, South Laurel(Route 197) Park and Ride, Greenbelt Metro Station, Dorsey MARC Station, College ParkMetro Station, Snowden River Park and Ride, and BWI MARC/Amtrak Station. The otherconnecting services increase the RTA rider’s access to Washington, D.C. and Baltimoreemployment centers.

Span of Service and Frequency

A common theme from the rider survey was the limited span of service on weekends. For theroutes that operate on Saturday, there was a desire for routes to start early in the morning toservice employment shifts that start before RTA’s current service times.

When headways are more than 60 minutes, ridership decreases dramatically.

Table 4 34 identifies the routes that operate off peak headways that are more than 60minutes. During the course of the study, the weekday headway on Route 501 was increased to90 minutes peak and off peak on weekdays

Table 4 34: RTA Routes with Headways of 90 Minutes or more

Operational Issues

The observed on time performance is poor, with a system average of 48% of weekday arrivalson time (less than a minute early and no more than 5 minutes late). For the majority of theroutes, there is less than 10 minutes of scheduled layover time at the end of the route. Forsome routes, there is zero schedule layover time. If a bus is running behind schedule, thisdecreases the opportunity to make up time at the end of the route, and contributes to loweron time performance. Additionally, reduced vehicle fleet availability is reducing on timeperformance because of missed trips.

Based on a review of the schedule and responses from riders, passengers miss connections attransit facilities. This is attributed to a combination of the buses running behind schedule,and not enough layover time built into the scheduled to recover at the end of the routes.

On the 201/J, 406/Red, and 407/Brown certain stops are served only on half the trips. Thiscauses confusion for passengers when determining if the bus will serve both the origin anddestination stop, and on what schedule. Clearer information is needed to assist riders whenthe service patterns vary by route/trip.

Numerous routes make one way loops and route deviations into residential communities.Specifically, the 302/G, 401/Green, 404/Orange, 405/Yellow, 406/Red, 407/Brown, 408/Gold,409/Purple, and 503/E. This impacts on time performance and travel times, making serviceless attractive—the question is whether the ridership loss that would result from more directrouting (and longer walk distances for those living on the deviations) would be greater thanthe gain in ridership from faster travel times and more reliable service.

In addition to fixed route services in the region, demand response services in centralMaryland are available to older adults and persons with disabilities. Demand responseservices are provided by the RTA and the Anne Arundel County Department of Aging andDisabilities (DOAD).

RTA’s demand response service is called RTA Mobility. This service provides the ADAcomplementary paratransit and general paratransit (GPT) service throughout HowardCounty, and ADA complementary paratransit in the RTA service areas of Anne Arundel andPrince George’s County. Anne Arundel County’s DOAD offers a taxi voucher program andcounty wide paratransit for adults ages 55 and older and individuals with disabilities. Thissection will provide a review of these services.

RTA Mobility is a curb to curb paratransit service that is available to older adults ages 60 ofor older and individuals with a disability. Two types of RTA Mobility paratransit service areprovided – the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Complementary Paratransit service andGeneral Paratransit (GPT) service.

Public transit agencies that operate fixed route service are required to provide ADAcomplementary paratransit service within ¾ mile of the fixed route and be made available topersons with a disability regardless of age. Individuals needing RTA ADA complementaryparatransit service are required to go through a certification process that includes completinga two part application followed by a face to face interview.

Trips on ADA complementary paratransit service can be scheduled from one to seven days inadvance. The ADA fare for a one way trip is $2.50 in Howard County, $4.00 in Anne ArundelCounty and either $2.00 or $4.00 in Prince George’s County ($2.00 along the 203/M Route,$4.00 on the other routes).

ADA complementary paratransit service is provided with a combination of sedans andcutaways (small buses). In FY2016, approximately 43 percent of all RTA Mobility trips were

The RTA possesses an overly large fleet with many inactive vehicles on the roster whichshould be eliminated through appropriate disposal procedures. In addition, much of theactive fleet is beyond its expected life and should be retired or replaced. Beyond that, if oneviews the fleet as having three separate components, there is a need for a fleet managementplan that provides for an adequate regional fleet and reflects that there are three separategrant applicants. If one examines the Howard County fleet and that county’s investment innew vehicles, it is possible that the overage fleet could be substantially reduced within arelatively short time. It is less clear whether or how Anne Arundel and Prince George’sCounties will invest in the fleet to support their services, which is a need. All of the vehiclesoperated on behalf of these jurisdictions are eligible for replacement or will be by 2018.

The organization of the RTA has evolved over a period of twenty years as differentorganizational structures evolved in response to the need for a mechanism to support bothlocal and regional services in the region. As the operation of these services shifted from aprivate non profit organization while a regional facility operations facility was planned andbuilt, the goal of a regional transit authority has not been achieved, but elements of a regionalentity have been developed.

Currently each of the three participating counties remains the grant subrecipient for state andfederal transit funding, and so the legal responsibility for transit rests with the counties, asthere is no regional transit authority that is a legal entity. The current organization is definedby a Memorandum of Understanding of the Central Maryland Transportation and MobilityConsortium” (MOU), which has been signed by Anne Arundel County, Howard County,Prince George’s County and the City of Laurel. The MOU defines each entity as an equalpartner in a cooperative effort to maintain an efficient and effective coordinated bus system incentral Maryland.

As described in the MOU, Howard County, on behalf of the four jurisdictions, has contractedwith a third party private for profit firm to manage and operate transit services in the region.Howard County is the contract manager. A somewhat unusual aspect of the arrangement isthat the contractor has incorporated a for profit corporation, Transit Management of CentralMaryland (TMCM), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of First Transit. The intention wasthat this organization would take on most of the administration and management of thetransit services, with the county staff role reduced to oversight of the funding, contractoversight and compliance.

The MOU creates a commission with representatives of the four jurisdictions to providepolicy direction concerning the transit services. Each jurisdiction appoints twocommissioners, none of which may be employed by the contractor. There is a Rider’s Advisory

Council whose chair is a non voting member of the commission. There are commission bylaws that set forth the mission of the commission as determining the mission and purpose ofthe RTA, reviewing and overseeing the performance of the RTA and the contractor, “ensuringeffective organizational planning and adequate financial resources for the RTA, managingthose financial resources effectively” while representing the interests of the parties. Thecommission is charged with annually approving a proposed budget for the RTA, which is thenpresented to the jurisdictions for their consideration. The MOU also calls for the commissionto evaluate options for legislation to create a public transportation authority or similarorganization.

For FY 2018 the MOU requires maintenance of effort in transit funding to the level providedin FY 2017, and calls for maintaining at least that level in future years. It does allow each partyto independently evaluate purchasing options for “assets for Transit Services” provided underthe MOU. The participants can (and do) lease individually owned transit assets to TMCM,and there are provisions for return of assets upon withdrawal or dissolution. The MOUcontains a funding schedule setting amounts required from each party to maintain servicesthrough FY 2018, but the agreement holds those levels only through the first quarter of FY2018, with revisions possible for the remainder of the year based on individual operatingbudgets. The MOU does not set forth the method of allocating costs though revenue isallocated based on hours times the average hourly fare revenue for the individual route.

TMCM staff includes a General Manager, two Assistant General Managers, one for Operationsand one for Maintenance and a Paratransit Manager. TMCM staff provides grantsmanagement, planning, and finance functions. Operations staff include dispatch, operationssupervision and the operators. Maintenance functions include purchasing and parts andsupplies. Marketing and customer service staff also support the RTA.

Each of the jurisdictions has transportation program staff that coordinates with the RTA. Ona day to day basis, contacts between the transit program staff of the parties is another aspectof the administration of the RTA beyond the more formal and less frequent contact providedthrough the commission.

The key aspects of the organizational structure that must be understood is that there are inreality four jurisdictions that are working together to share a common brand, a single servicecontractor, and a single maintenance facility. However, there is no legally constituted regionaltransit authority—each party remains a separate recipient of federal and state funding, each isresponsible for compliance, and each has a separate policy board.

The TDP alternatives presented in this chapter were based on input collected through ridersurveys, community surveys, online surveys, public meetings, Anne Arundel, Howard, PrinceGeorge’s Counties, and the City of Laurel staff, and stakeholders representing local agenciesand advocacy groups.

As documented in Chapter 4, the overwhelming demand was for the following:

Service alternatives were developed for each of the existing fifteen RTA fixed routes as well aspolicy proposals to address the growing demand for RTA’s General Paratransit Service (GPT).In addition, expansion route alternatives were developed to improve connections toemployment and services in the region and to other regional operators such as MTA. Theservice alternatives attempt to address the following:

Realign routes to meet current needs and changing land uses.Streamline or shorten routes to reduce the time for riders.Increase the frequency on many routes.Improve connections to jobs and vital services.Increase the level of service that is operated on the weekends.

This section describes thirteen proposed service alternatives in Anne Arundel County. Threeof the thirteen proposed service alternatives are either changes in the current routing and/orservice characteristics such as span and frequency of service. The other ten servicealternatives propose to expand service throughout the county.

RTA currently operates General Paratransit (GPT) in Howard County. GPT is available toseniors and persons with a disability who live outside of an existing transit route. Asdocumented in Chapter 4, the demand for GPT is increasing and the cost of the mobilityservice (ADA and GPT) is high with an average per trip delivery cost of $51 in FY 2016, versus$7.88 for fixed route trips. For FY 2018, Howard County assigns approximately 39% of its shareof the RTA budget to mobility service ($4.7 million of $11.5 million) where mobility providesonly approximately 5% of all overall trips. Of the 39% budget share, 15% is for ADA and 24%is for GPT.

In order to ensure the viability of service and that it continues to be available for riders thatneed and depend on it most, a number of options are provided:

1. Incentivize paratransit riders to use fixed route service:

Free fixed route fares for seniors/disabled persons.Better fixed routesBetter bus stop facilitiesFlexible first mile/last mile local services

2. Increase fares in Howard County, implement a fare in Anne Arundel County.

3. Raise senior age (from 60 to 65 in Howard County, and from 55 in Anne ArundelCounty).

4. Rider education — provide travel training in how to use the fixed route system.

5. Service adjustments:

Number of Trips – e.g., limit number of individual trips per month (currently oneround trip per day)Redirect some trip types if fixed route is availableOrigins and destinations, e.g., limit service in western Howard County, southernAnne ArundelHours: change hours of service (for example, in Howard County reduce GPT servicehours from the current 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.—potentially affectingemployment trips)

6. Use taxi vouchers/subsidies in lieu of providing RTA trips. Use on demand /taxisfor ridesharing.

7. Improve service productivity (RTA operation).

This chapter presents the overall plan for locally provided transit in the central Marylandregion, including the area served by the RTA. It is divided into sections addressing theOperations Plan, Capital Plan (including the vehicle fleet and other capital needs), andOrganizational Plan.

Following the development of the service alternatives described in the previous chapter, aseries of public meetings were held in the region to solicit public input on the proposals. Theproposed routes were posted on the project website, accessible through the RTA website andfrom the individual county websites. Based on feedback at the meetings, through webresponse, and through county staff, the following changes were recommended in theproposed alternatives.

Howard County

Route 401 No change from proposed alternativeRoute 402 No change from proposed alternativeRoute 403 No change from proposed alternativeRoute 404 No change from proposed alternativeRoute 405 No change from proposed alternativeRoute 406 No change from proposed alternativeRoute 407 No change from proposed alternativeRoute 408 No change from proposed alternativeRoute 409 A & B No change from proposed alternativeRoute 410 No change from proposed alternativeRoute 411 Recommended change in wording to reflect ongoing development ratherthan completion of developmentRoute 412 No change from proposed alternativeRoute 413 Revise route name to include “Turf Valley Waverly Woods”Route 414 Revise route name to include “via Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) MapleLawn”. Consider revising alternative to include two buses to serve an extension of theroute to Laurel MARC station and Towne Centre. Eliminate service on Cedar Lane.

Route 501 Revise title of route to “Columbia to Arundel Mills” to reflect future role inwhich 505 provides a more express trip from Columbia to BWI Airport. Change text toinclude relationship in the plan between the 501 and 505.Route 503 No change from proposed alternative505 No change from proposed alternativeAdd concept map for potential service on U.S.40 to connection with MTA atCatonsville (potential recommendation for MTA service)

This TDP does not make specific recommendations regarding mobility services. Asdocumented in Chapters 4 and 5 the cost of paratransit services is unsustainable in the longterm especially as demand is projected to increase. Chapter 5 includes several optionsdesigned to ensure that ADA and GPT services continue to be available for riders that need itmost.

While these options were presented at the public meeting held on the TDP, there wasinsufficient time for the detailed engagement with the public that is necessary to fully assessthe pros and cons of each of the options, and make more specific recommendations. Aprerequisite for incentivizing paratransit riders to use fixed route service is having better fixedroute service. Therefore, Howard County proposes to begin to implement improvements tothe fixed route service while it engages with stakeholders on the paratransit service options.

Anne Arundel

Input from the meeting held at Arundel Mills and input from county staff included thefollowing suggested revisions in the alternatives:

Route 201 Add later evening service to match last trips on the MTA light rail service(12:30 a.m.)

Route 202 Consider revising route to go from Meade Village east on MD 174, left onNew Disney, right on Carriage, left on Severn, and then right on Ridge Road resumingthe current routing. Check on potential for eliminating any overlap in coverage withthe recently implemented 504 to avoid duplication.

Anne Arundel Community College to Fort Meade Consider adding extension toNational Business Park, revising to reduce mileage driving around perimeter of FortMeade.


Chapter 6: Transit Plan

HOWARD COUNTY

Route 401 – Columbia Mall to Clary’s Forest

Service Description

Frequency increases to every 30 minutes during the day on weekdays.

Ride time from Columbia Mall to Howard Community College (HCC) will be approximately 20 minutes.

Service Days

M T W F Th Sa Su

Existing Route 401Proposed Route 401Key Time Point



Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30

Service Frequency Phase 1 Monday ‐ Friday

AM Peak & PM Peak every 30 minutes Midday every 30 minutes Evening every 60 minutes Saturday

Daytime every 30 minutes Evening every 60 minutes Sunday

Daytime every 60 minutes Evening every 60 minutes

Number of Peak Vehicles

Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday



Service Characteristics

Origin/Destination

MajorIntermediate

Points

Peak Number of Buses

Proposed Start (A)

Proposed End (A)

Number of Proposed Hours (B)

Deadhead (12%)

Daily Hours

Days of Operation

Annual Hours

10,895

11,096

33.88 255 8,639Columbia Mall‐Clary's Forest

Harper's Choice, Howard County Hospital,

Howard Community College2 5:25 23:10 30.25 3.63

31.64 52 1,645Columbia Mall‐Clary's Forest

Wilde Lake, Harper's Choice,

Howard County Hospital, Howard Community College

2 5:25 23:10 28.25 3.39

33.23 255 8,473

Columbia Mall‐Clary's Forest



2 5:25 23:10 27.67 3.32 30.99 52 1,611

Columbia Mall‐Clary's Forest



2 5:25 23:10 29.67 3.56

81120:35 13.17 1.58 14.75



1 7:25Columbia Mall‐Clary's Forest 55

Phase 2: Route 401 Total

Saturday

Sunday

PHASE 2Monday‐Friday




Columbia Mall‐Clary's Forest 1 7:25 20:35 13.17 1.58 14.75 81155

Monday‐Friday

Sunday

Saturday



Route 402 – Ellicott City to Snowden Square

Route Description

Provides a connection to Long Gate Shopping Center, Columbia Crossing, and Dobbin Center.

Ride time from the Walmart in Ellicott City to Snowden Square will be approximately 45 minutes.

Proposed Route 402Key Time Point



Service Days

Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30

Service Frequency Phase 1 Phase 2 Monday ‐ Friday

AM Peak & PM Peak every 60 minutes every 60 minutes Midday every 60 minutes every 60 minutes Evening ‐ every 120 minutes Saturday

Daytime every 60 minutes every 60 minutes Evening every 60 minutes every 60 minutes Sunday

Daytime every 120 minutes every 120 minutes Evening every 120 minutes every 120 minutes


M T W F Th Sa Su

Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Phase 2 Phase 1

Phase 1 & 2

Phase 1 & 2




Origin/Destination

Major Intermediate

Points


Proposed Start (A)

Proposed End (A)


Deadhead (12%)

Daily Hours

Days of Operation

Annual Hours

9,271

10,074

255 8,235

Ell icott City‐Snowden Aquare

Walmart, Long Gate

Shopping Center, Columbia Crossing,

Dobbin Center

2 8:20 19:25 20.92 2.51 23.43 52 1,218

2 6:20 23:20 28.83

28.93 255 7,378


Walmart, Long Gate


Dobbin Center

2 8:20 19:25 21.83 2.62 24.45 52 1,272

6:20 19:25 25.83 3.1

62155

Sunday

55 621

Phase 1: Route 402 TOTAL

Phase 2: Route 402 TOTAL

1

Walmart, Long Gate


Dobbin Center


Walmart, Long Gate


Dobbin Center

3.46 32.29

10.08

10.08

1.21

1.21

11.29

11.29

Monday‐Friday

Saturday

Sunday

9:20

9:20

19:25

19:25

PHASE 2



Walmart, Long Gate


Dobbin Center

1

Saturday

PHASE 1

Monday‐Friday


Walmart, Long Gate


Dobbin Center

2



Route 403 – Columbia Mall to Dorsey Search Village Center

Service Description

Route will serve the future courthouse on Bendix Road.

Will connect Dorsey Search Village Center with Selborne House and Red Branch Way.

Ride time between Columbia Mall and Red Branch Way will be approximately 30 minutes.

Service Days

M T W F Th Sa Su

Proposed Route 403 Key Time Point



Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30


AM Peak & PM Peak every 60 minutes every 60 minutes Midday every 60 minutes every 60 minutes Evening every 120 minutes every 60 minutes Saturday


Daytime every 120 minutes ‐

Evening every 120 minutes ‐

Number of Vehicles

Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Phase 1 & 2

Phase 1 & 2

Phase 1




Origin/Destination

Major Intermediate

Points


Proposed Start (A)

Proposed End (A)


Deadhead (12%)

Daily Hours

Days of Operation

Annual Hours

5,397

5,813Phase 2: Route 403 Total

15.21 52 791Columbia Mall‐

Dorsey Search Village Center

Columbia Mall‐Dorsey Search Village

Center‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐

Sunday

Selborne House, Red Branch Way

Selborne House, Red Branch Way 1 7:35 21:10 13.58 1.63

17.58 2.11 19.69 255 5,022Selborne House, Red Branch Way 1 5:35 23:10

Saturday

Sunday



Center(Interlined with 404)

Selbourne House, Red Branch Way

PHASE 1

Monday‐Friday


Saturday

55 357


Center

1 7:35 19:10 11:35 1:23 12.97

16.99 255 4,332


Center(Evenings interlined

with 404)


1 7:35 21:10 12.17 1.46 13.63 52 709


Center(Evenings interlined

with 404)


1 5:35 21:10 15.17 1.82



Route 404 – Columbia Mall to Hickory Ridge

Service Description

Route is streamlined to reduce ride time for riders.

Service to the Robinson Nature Center will be on weekends and by requests.

Service to Kings Contrivance will be served by Route 411, providing faster and more direct service to Columbia Town Center.

Howard County Hospital will be served on Route 401.

Ride time between Columbia Town Center and Hickory Ridge Village Center will be approximately 30 minutes.

Existing Route 404 Proposed Route 404

Key Time Point

Proposed Route 401 Proposed Route 411

Proposed Route 404 Weekends by Request



Service Days

Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30




Daytime every 120 minutes every 60 minutes Evening every 120 minutes every 60 minutes


M T W F Th Sa Su

Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Phase 1 & 2

Phase 1

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 2

Phase 2




Origin/Destination

Major Intermediate

Points


Proposed Start (A)

Proposed End (A)

Number ofProposed Hours (B)

Deadhead (12%)

Daily Hours

Days of Operation

Annual Hours

5,139

9,611

Saturday

980

Columbia Mall‐Hickory Ridge

(Interlined with 403)

PHASE 1

Monday‐Friday

Howard Community College

1 7:35 19:10 11:35 1:23

Sunday

12.97 55 357


Monday‐Friday

Saturday

2.02



2 6:00 22:50 27.67 3.32 30.99

PHASE 2

52Howard

Community College

1.42

14.42 1.73




11.83

1 6:00 22:50 16.83


1 8:00 19:50

Sunday

13.25 55 729

18.85

255 7,902

16.15 255 4,117


(Evenings interlined

with 403)


1 8:00 21:10 11.42 1.37 12.79 52 665


(Evenings interlined

with 403)


1 6:00 21:10



Route 405 – Columbia Mall to Ellicott City

Service Description

Route is streamlined to reduce the ride time for riders traveling between Columbia and Ellicott City.

Serves the Ellicott City Walmart, Long Gate Shopping Center, Normandy Shopping Center, Ellicott City Healthcare Center, Park View Apts., Lutheran Village and Miller Library.

Dorsey Search Village Center, Selborne House, Executive Park Drive and Red Branch Way will be served by Route 403.

Evenings, Saturday (early and late), and Sunday will have a shorter routing. The Ellicott City Healthcare Center, Lutheran Village, and Miller Library, will not be served with the shorter routing.

Ride time from Columbia Mall to the Ellicott City Walmart will be approximately 35 minutes.


Key Time Point


Proposed 405 Evening, Early/Late Saturday and Sunday



Days of Service

Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30


AM Peak & PM Peak every 60 minutes Midday & Evening every 60 minutes Saturday




M T W F Th Sa Su

Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday




Origin/Destination

MajorIntermediate

Points


Proposed Start (A)

Proposed End (A)

Number ofProposed Hours (B)

Deadhead (12%)

Daily Hours

Days of Operation

Annual Hours

10,675

10,788

1 8:00 19:50 11.83

Columbia Mall‐Ell icott City

1.42

Walmart, Long Gate Shopping Center,

Dorsey Search, Red Branch Way

1 8:00 19:50 11.83

PHASE 1

PHASE 2

Monday‐Friday

Saturday

Sunday




2

1.42 13.25 55 729



Monday‐Friday


Saturday

Sunday

13.25 55 729



6:00 22:50

255 8,330




2 6:00 22:50 27.75 3.33 31.08 52 1,616

6:00 22:50 29.17 3.50 32.67

8,520




2 6:00 20:50 26.42 3.17 29.59 52 1,539

29.83 3.58 33.41 255Columbia Mall‐Ell icott City



2



Route 406 – Columbia Mall to Columbia Gateway

Route Description

Provides a more direct connection between Columbia Mall and Gateway.

Service through Long Reach, Columbia Crossing, Dobbin Center, and Snowden Square will be served by Routes 402, 408, 410, and 501.

No Sunday service.

Ride time from Columbia Mall to the Howard County Complex will be approximately 25 minutes.

Days of Service

M T W F Th Sa Su


Key Time Point


Proposed Route 402

Proposed Route 501



Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30


AM Peak & PM Peak every 60 minutes every 60 minutes Midday every 60 minutes every 60 minutes Saturday

Daytime every 120 minutes every 60 minutes Evening ‐ ‐ Sunday Daytime ‐ ‐ Evening ‐ ‐


Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Phase 1

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 2




Origin/Destination

Major Intermediate

Points


Proposed Start (A)

Proposed End (A)


Deadhead (12%)

Daily Hours

Days of Operation

Annual Hours

3,571

4,096

Snowden Square 1 8:05 18:20 10.25 1.23 11.48 52 597

255 3,284

Snowden Square 1 6:05 18:20 12.25 1.47 13.72 255 3,499

18:00 11.50 1.38 12.88Columbia Mall ‐

Columbia GatewaySnowden Square 1

Columbia Mall ‐ Columbia Gateway(Interlined with 411)

Snowden Square 1 8:00 17:50 9.83 1.18 11.01 52 286

6:30

Columbia Mall ‐ Columbia Gateway

Snowden Square ‐ ‐ ‐


‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐

PHASE 2

‐ ‐

PHASE 1

Saturday

Sunday


Monday‐Friday


Monday‐Friday

Saturday


SundayColumbia Mall‐

Columbia GatewaySnowden Square ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐



Route 407 – Columbia Mall to Kings Contrivance Village Center

Service Description

Route will no longer serve Columbia Medical Plan. Columbia Medical Plan will be served by Route 410.

Not every bus will continue on to Snowden Square and Kings Contrivance. Buses will turn around at the Owen Brown Village Center on every other run.

Ride time from Columbia Mall to Kings Contrivance Village Center will be approximately 52 minutes.

Existing Route 407Proposed Route 407

Key Time PointProposed Route 410



Days of Services

Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30

Service Frequency Phase 1 Phase 2 Columbia Mall –

Owen Brown Owen Brown –

Kings Contrivance Entire Route

Monday ‐ Friday

AM Peak & PM Peak every 30 minutes every 60 minutes every 30 minutes Midday every 30 minutes every 60 minutes every 30 minutes Evening every 60 minutes every 120 minutes every 60 minutes Saturday

Daytime every 30 minutes every 60 minutes every 30 minutes Evening every 60 minutes every 120 minutes every 60 minutes Sunday

Daytime every 60 minutes every 120 minutes every 60 minutes Evening every 60 minutes every 120 minutes every 60 minutes


M T W F Th Sa Su

Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday




Origin/Destination

Major Intermediate

Points


Proposed Start (A)

Proposed End (A)


Deadhead (12%)

Daily Hours

Days of Operation

Annual Hours

16,160

21,434

PHASE 2

Monday‐Friday

PHASE 1

Monday‐Friday

Saturday

Sunday



22:50 43.79

Saturday

Sunday

5.26 49.05 255 12,507

Columbia Mall‐Kings Contrivance Vil lage Center



3 5:30 22:50 41.79 5.02 46.81 52 2,434




3 5:30

22.17 55 1,219

Columbia Mall‐Kings Contrivance Village Center

Oakland Mills,Owen Brown

Snowden Square4 5:30 23:25 58.42 7.01 65.43 255 16,684




1 7:00 20:50 19.79 2.38

60.95 52 3,169



Snowden Square2 7:00 20:50 25.67 3.08 28.75 55 1,581



Snowden Square4 5:30 23:25 54.42 6.53



Route 408 – Columbia Mall to Sherwood Crossing

Service Description

Service will be expanded to Sunday.

Columbia Crossing will continue to be served on the route; Snowden Park and Ride will not be served.

Service through Long Reach will be provided by Routes 402 and 410.

Service through Oakland Mills will be provided by Route 407.

Service to the MD Food Center will be provided by Routes 409 and 501.

Ride time from Columbia Mall to Sherwood Crossing will be approximately 25 minutes.

Service Days

M T W F Th Sa Su


Key Time Point

Proposed Route 407

Proposed Route 501

Proposed Route 402

Proposed Route 409Proposed Route 410



Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30






Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday




Origin/Destination

Major Intermediate

Points


Proposed Start (A)

Proposed End (A)


Deadhead (12%)

Daily Hours

Days of Operation

Annual Hours

6,517

6,517

1 6:00 22:50 16.83 2.02 18.85 255 4,808

Columbia Mall‐Sherwood Crossing

Columbia Crossing

1 8:00 19:50 11.83

Columbia Crossing

13.25 55 729

Monday‐Friday

Saturday

Sunday

1.42

Columbia Crossing

1 6:00 22:50 16.83 2.02 18.85 52 980

52 980


PHASE 1

PHASE 2 Monday‐Friday

6:00 22:50 16.83 2.02 18.85 255 4,808




Columbia Crossing

1 6:00 22:50 16.83 2.02 18.85



Columbia Crossing 1

Sunday


Columbia Crossing 1 8:00 19:50 11.83 1.42 13.25 55 729

Saturday



Route 409 (409A and 409B) – Towne Centre Laurel to Elkridge Shopping Center

Service Description

Route 409 will be split into Routes 409A and 409B.

Existing 409 will remain the same but will be renamed 409A.

Route 409B will be extended to the Towne Centre Laurel and Elkridge Shopping Center.

North Laurel Community Center will be served by Route 503.

Ride time on Route 409B from the Towne Centre Laurel to Elkridge Shopping Center will be approximately 50 minutes.

Existing Route 409A (effective 10/1/2017)

Proposed Route 409B

Key Time Point Proposed Route 501

Existing Route 409B (effective 10/1/2017)



Service Days

Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30

Service Frequency Phase 2 409A and 409B

Stops NOT Served by Both Routes

409A and 409B Stops Served by Both Routes

Monday ‐ Friday


Daytime every 60 minutes every 30 minutes Evening every 60 minutes every 60 minutes Sunday Daytime ‐ ‐ Evening ‐ ‐


M T W F Th Sa Su

Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday




Origin/Destination

Major Intermediate

Points


Proposed Start (A)

Proposed End (A)


Deadhead (12%)

Daily Hours

Days of Operation

Annual Hours

13,245

19,595

6:00

PHASE 1

‐MD Food Center,Dorsey MARC

Station

Monday‐Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday‐Friday



‐ ‐

‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐

‐ ‐‐

‐

‐ ‐

‐ ‐

Sunday

Towne Centre Laurel‐Elkridge Shopping Center

Saturday


MD Food Center,Dorsey MARC

Station

PHASE 2

11,353



Station3 8:00 20:50 32.50 3.90 36.40 52 1,893

21:55 39.75 4.77 44.52 255Towne Centre Laurel‐Elkridge Shopping Center


Station3

16,470


MD Food Center,Dorsey MARC 4 6:00 22:55 53.67 6.44 60.11 52 3,126

57.67 6.92 64.59 2556:00 22:55Towne Centre Laurel‐Elkridge Shopping Center

MD Food Center,Dorsey MARC 4



Route 410 – Columbia Mall to Long Reach Village Center

Service Description

Serves the Columbia Medical Practice Medical Plan (Medical Plan) and Long Reach Village Center.

Ride time from Columbia Mall to Long Reach Village Center will be approximately 30 minutes.

Service Days

M T W F Th Sa Su




Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30



Daytime every 60 minutes Evening every 60 minutes Sunday Daytime ‐ Evening ‐


Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday




Origin/Destination

Major Intermediate

Points


Proposed Start (A)

Proposed End (A)


Deadhead (12%)

Daily Hours

Days of Operation

Annual Hours

4,010

3,981

Columbia Medical Practice Medical

Plan1 6:00 18:00 12.00 1.44 13.44 255 3,427


Plan1 8:00 18:00 10.00 1.20 11.20 52 582

255 3,403


Plan‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐

‐ ‐


Plan1 8:00 17:55 9.92 1.19 11.11 52 578

PHASE 1

Columbia Mall‐Long Reach Village

Center


Center

Monday‐Friday

Saturday

Saturday

Sunday


Plan1 6:00 17:55 11.92 1.43 13.35





Center


Center


Center


Center

SundayColumbia Medical Practice Medical

Plan‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐



Route 410 – Columbia Mall to Elkridge Corners Shopping Center (expansion route)

Service Description

Provides for a connection to Elkridge from Columbia.

Will connect with Route 409A and 409B at the Elkridge Corners Shopping Center.

Ride time from Columbia Mall to Elkridge Corners Shopping Center will be approximately Long Reach Village Center will be approximately 80 minutes.

Proposed Route 410 Extension to Elkridge Key Time Point



Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30

Service Frequency Monday ‐ Friday




Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday




* Represents the total annual hours of the route. The incremental hours for the expansion to Elkridge are 3,665 hours annually.

Origin/Destination

Major Intermediate

Points


Proposed Start (A)

Proposed End (A)

Number of

Proposed Hours (B)

Deadhead (12%)

Daily Hours

Days of Operation

Annual Hours *

Columbia Mall ‐ Elkridge

Columbia Medical Practice

Medical Plan; Elkridge

2 6:00 18:00 23 2.76 25.76 255 6,569

Columbia Mall ‐ Elkridge

2 8:00 18:00 19 2.28 21.28 52 1,107

7,675

Monday‐Friday

Saturday

Route 410 Expansion Total



Route 411 – Columbia Mall to Kings Contrivance Village Center

Service Description

Route will be adjusted as the Crescent develops.

Ride time from Columbia Mall to Kings Contrivance Village Center will be approximately 20 minutes.

Proposed Route 411

Key Time Point

Future Service



Service Days

Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30


AM Peak & PM Peak every 60 minutes every 60 minutes Midday & Evening every 60 minutes every 60 minutes Saturday

Daytime every 120 minutes every 60 minutes Evening every 120 minutes every 60 minutes Sunday Daytime ‐ Evening ‐


M T W F Th Sa Su

Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday




Origin/Destination

Major Intermediate

Points


Proposed Start (A)

Proposed End (A)


Deadhead (12%)

Daily Hours

Days of Operation

Annual Hours

3,666

3,952

Monday ‐ Friday

Monday ‐ Friday

52 28617:50 9.83 1.18 11.01

3,380

Crescent 1 6:00 17:50 11.83 1.42 13.25 255 3,380

1 8:00

11.83 1.42 13.25 255Crescent 1 6:00 17:50

PHASE 1

PHASE 2


Saturday

Crescent 1 8:00




(Interline with 406)



Crescent

Saturday

17:50 9.83 1.18 11.01 52 573



Route 412 – Columbia Mall to Clarksville (expansion route)

Service Description

Will also serve the Howard County Board of Education.

Ride time from Columbia Mall to River Hill Village Center will be approximately 30 minutes.

Service Days

M T W F Th Sa Su




Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30





Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday




Origin/Destination

Major Intermediate

Points


Proposed Start (A)

Proposed End (A)


Deadhead (12%)

Daily Hours

Days of Operation

Annual Hours

4,010Route 412 Total

Monday‐Friday

Columbia Mall‐Clarksville

Howard County Board of Education,

River Hil l Vil lage Center

1 5:55 17:55 12 1.44 13.44 255 3,427

Saturday

Columbia Mall‐Clarksville

Howard County Board of Education,

River Hil l Vil lage Center

1 8:00 17:55 10 1.20 11.20 52 582



Route 413 – Columbia Mall to Turf Valley/Waverly Woods (expansion route)

Service Description

Waverly Woods Village Center, Turf Valley Towne Square, Goodwill, and Centennial High School will be served along the route.

Ride time between Columbia Mall and Waverly Woods Village Center will be approximately 35 minutes.

Service Days

M T W F Th Sa Su




Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30

Service Frequency

Monday ‐ Friday




Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday




Origin/Destination

Major Intermediate

Points


Proposed Start (A)

Proposed End (A)


Deadhead (12%)

Daily Hours

Days of Operation

Annual Hours

4,497

255

Monday‐Friday

Extension ‐ Saturday

Columbia Mall‐Turf Valley/Waverly Woods Village

Center

Goodwill,Centennial High

School1 6:00

689

3,808

Columbia Mall‐Turf Valley/Waverly Woods Village

Center

Goodwill,Centennial High

School1 7:30 19:20 11.83

19:20 13.33 1.60 14.93

Route 413 Total

1.42 13.25 52



Route 414 – Columbia Mall to Towne Centre Laurel via Maple Lawn (expansion route)

Route Description

Serves APL and employment along Montpelier Rd. and Maple Lawn.

Ride time from Columbia Mall to Towne Centre Laurel through Maple Lawn will be approximately 50 minutes.




Service Days

Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30





M T W F Th Sa Su

Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday




Origin/Destination

Major Intermediate

Points


Proposed Start (A)

Proposed End (A)


Deadhead (12%)

Daily Hours

Days of Operation

Annual Hours

9,142

3.36 31.36 255 7,9972 6:05 20:00 28.00

Monday‐Friday

Saturday

MCIH, APL 2 8:05 17:55 19.66 2.36 22.02 52 1,145

Route 414 Total

Columbia Mall ‐ Towne Centre

Laurel

Columbia Mall ‐ Towne Centre

Laurel

MCIH, APL



REGIONAL SERVICE

Route 501 – Columbia Mall to Arundel Mills Mall

Service Description

Route 501 will no longer serve BWI airport.

Not every bus will continue on to Arundel Mills Mall. Buses will turn around at the Snowden Square on every other run.

Service to BWI airport from Columbia Mall will be served by Route 505.

Ride time from Columbia Mall to Arundel Mills Mall will be approximately 50 minutes.

Service Days

M T W F Th Sa Su


Key Time Point Proposed Route 505Proposed Route 406



Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30

Service Frequency Phase 1 Phase 2 Columbia Mall to

Snowden Square Snowden Square to Arundel Mills Mall

Entire Route

Monday ‐ Friday

AM Peak & PM Peak every 30 minutes every 60 minutes every 30 minutes Midday every 30 minutes every 60 minutes every 30 minutes Evening every 60 minutes every 120 minutes every 60 minutes Saturday

Morning every 60 minutes every 120 minutes every 60 minutes Midday every 30 minutes every 60 minutes every 30 minutes Evening every 60 minutes every 120 minutes every 60 minutes Sunday

Daytime every 60 minutes every 120 minutes every 60 minutes Evening every 60 minutes every 120 minutes every 60 minutes


Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday




Origin/Destination

Major Intermediate

Points


Proposed Start (A)

Proposed End (A)


Deadhead (12%)

Daily Hours

Days of Operation

Annual Hours

15,612

21,063

3,126

Columbia Mall‐Arundel Mills Mall

Dobbin Center,Snowden Square,MD Food Center,Dorsey MARC

Station

2 7:55 19:55 23.83 2.86 26.69 55 1,468

55 1,101



Station

4 5:55 22:55 57.67 6.92 64.59 255 16,470

Columbia Mall‐Arundel Mills Mall(Interlined with

407)


Station

1 8:00 19:55 17.88 2.15

5.11 47.65 255 12,150


407)


Station

3 5:55 22:55 40.54 4.87 45.41 52 2,361


407)


Station

3 5:55 22:55 42.54

PHASE 1

Monday‐Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday‐Friday

Saturday

Sunday



Station

4 5:55 22:55 53.67 6.44 60.11 52

20.02


PHASE 2




Route 503 – Columbia Mall to Towne Centre Laurel via Savage

Service Description

Park View at Owen Brown will no longer be served by Route 503. It will be served by Route 407.

Ride time from Columbia Mall to Towne Centre Laurel via Savage will be approximately 1:15 minutes.

Service Days

M T W F Th Sa Su


Key Time Point Proposed Route 407



Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30





Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday




Origin/Destination

Major Intermediate

Points


Proposed Start (A)

Proposed End (A)


Deadhead (12%)

Daily Hours

Days of Operation

Annual Hours

14,865

22,649

38.25 4.59 42.84 52 2,228Columbia Mall‐Towne

Center LaurelOwen Brown, Savage Mill 3 7:30 21:15

2.88 26.88 55 1,478

Columbia Mall‐Towne Center Laurel

Owen Brown, Savage Mill 3 5:30 21:15 44.25 5.31 49.56 255 12,638

Owen Brown, Savage Mill 2 8:00 20:00 24

58.25 6.99 65.24 52 3,392Owen Brown, Savage Mill 5 7:30 21:15

‐ ‐


Owen Brown, Savage Mill 5 5:30 23:15 62.25 7.47 69.72 255 17,779

‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐

PHASE 1



Monday‐Friday

Saturday

Sunday

‐


Owen Brown, Savage Mill


Saturday

Sunday





Route 505 – Columbia Mall to BWI Airport

Service Description

Provides a more direct connection to BWI airport.

Ride time from Columbia Mall to BWI airport will be approximately 50 minutes.

Service Days

M T W F Th Sa Su




Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30


AM Peak & PM Peak every 60 minutes Midday every 60 minutes Evening every 60 minutes Saturday




Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday




Origin/Destination

Major Intermediate

Points


Proposed Start (A)

Proposed End (A)


Deadhead (12%)

Daily Hours

Days of Operation

Annual Hours

13,415

21,119

59.92 52 3,116

Columbia Mall‐BWI Airport

Long Reach Village Center,

Arundel Mills Mall,

BWI Rail Station

2 7:05 20:55 25.67 3.08 28.75 55 1,581

5:40 23:55 53.50 6.42Columbia Mall‐BWI Airport


Arundel Mills Mall,

BWI Rail Station

4

28.75 55 1,581



Arundel Mills Mall,

BWI Rail Station

4 5:40 23:55 57.50 6.9 64.40 255 16,422

7:05 19:55 25.67 3.08Columbia Mall‐BWI Airport


Arundel Mills Mall,

BWI Rail Station

2

34.42 4.13 38.55 52 2,004

34.42 4.13 38.55 255 9,8292 5:40 23:15Columbia Mall‐BWI Airport


Arundel Mills Mall,

BWI Rail Station

PHASE 1

Monday‐Friday

Satruday



Arundel Mills Mall,

BWI Rail Station

2 5:40 23:15

Sunday

Monday‐Friday

Saturday


PHASE 2

Sunday




Route 506 – Ellicott City to Catonsville*

Service Description

Serves the Walmart in Ellicott City, Orchard Park, Normandy Shopping Center, and Town and Country.

Connects with MTA bus service in Catonsville.

Ride time from Orchard Park in Ellicott City to Catonsville is approximately 30 minutes.

* Potential MTA route. Because the service goes beyond the RTA jurisdictions’ boundaries, service would need support from MTA and Baltimore County.

Service Days

M T W F Th Sa Su

Proposed Ellicott City to Catonsville RouteKey Time Point



Service Span

AM PM AM

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

11:30

12:00

1:00

1:30

2:00

2:30

3:00

3:30

4:00

4:30

5:00

5:30

6:00

6:30

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

12:00

12:30





Monday ‐ Friday

Saturday

Sunday



PHASED IMPLEMENTATION The individual route proposals constitute the basic building blocks of the TDP, but there is a need to combine them into a phased implementation plan that reflects the interdependencies among the routes and services, and is potentially implementable in terms of funding. Under the current organizational structure, each of the jurisdictions is a separate grant recipient, responsible for grants management and compliance. Each jurisdiction has a different history of providing funding for transit in the central Maryland region, and each will have its own budget for transit in the coming years. For that reason, the phased implementation is presented here as separate phased implementation plans for each jurisdiction. A combined regional table is also presented, although it should be noted that inclusion in the regional table does not necessarily mean that the service would be operated by the RTA.

Howard County

The fixed‐route plan for Howard County is presented as two phases, and in addition there are four potential expansion routes. Phase I is a comprehensive restructuring of the routes currently providing coverage in the County, with a goal of shortening routes and increasing frequencies, largely by having multiple routes serve many of the same stops on schedules that are offset to provide higher frequencies (interlining). Because of the use of the interlining and increased transfer opportunities that allow coverage with fewer long meandering routes, it would be most efficient and understandable to the public to implement this phase at one point in time. It will require an increase in operating funds, and the fixed‐route fleet will need to be expanded by three vehicles. The capital costs of fleet replacement and expansion are addressed later in this chapter. Phase II builds upon the first phase, adding service. The four expansion routes are essentially independent projects, and the timing of implementation is dependent on local needs and funding availability.

Phase 1: Restructuring: Buses and Hours

Table 6‐1 summarizes the number of buses and the estimated service hours required to implement the Phase 1 fixed‐route changes that need to be implemented concurrently. The number of buses is the total required for each route. The revenue hours needed to operate each route are taken from the individual route plans presented earlier in this chapter.



Table 6‐1: Howard County Phase 1 Buses Required and Service Hours by Route

Route Origin‐Destination Total Buses Required

Total Annual Hours

401 Columbia Mall ‐ Clary's Forest 2 10,895 402 Ellicott City ‐ Snowden Square 2 9,271

403 Columbia Mall – Dorsey Search Village Center 1 5,397

404 Columbia Mall ‐ Hickory Ridge 1 5,139 405 Columbia Mall ‐ Ellicott City 2 10,675 406 Columbia Mall ‐ Columbia Gateway 1 3,571

407 Columbia Mall ‐ Kings Contrivance Village Center 3 16,160

408 Columbia Mall – Sherwood Crossing 1 6,517

409

Towne Centre Laurel to Elkridge Shopping Center 3 13,245

410 Columbia Mall ‐ Long Reach Village Center 1 4,010


501 Columbia Mall ‐ Arundel Mills Mall 3 15,612

503 Columbia Mall – Towne Centre Laurel via Savage 3 14,865

505 Columbia Mall ‐ BWI Airport 2 13,415 Total 132,438

Phase 2: Frequency and Span Improvements: Buses and Hours

The Phase 2 improvements as a package represent the build‐out of the current plan for the existing Howard County service area. As can be seen in Table 6‐2, the service hours by route vary considerably from the Phase 1 level, with major increases in the service hours for Routes 404, 407, 409, 501, 503 and 505, representing frequency improvements. The increase to 171,788 service hours represents a 30% increase in service levels over Phase 1. Some of these expansions could be implemented as incremental improvements, once the Phase 1 restructuring has been completed. However, this would depend on budget availability in subsequent years.



Table 6‐2: Howard County Phase 2 Buses Required and Hours by Route

Route Origin‐Destination Total

Number of Buses

Total Annual Hours

401 Columbia Mall-Clary's Forest 2 11,096

402 Ellicott City-Snowden Square 2 10,074

403 Columbia Mall – Dorsey Search Village Center 1 5,813

404 Columbia Mall - Hickory Ridge 2 9,611405 Columbia Mall - Ellicott City 2 10,788406 Columbia Mall – Columbia Gateway 1 4,096


408 Columbia Mall – Sherwood Crossing 1 6,517

409 Towne Centre Laurel – Elkridge Village Center 4 19,595

410 Columbia Mall ‐ Long Reach Village Center 1 3,981


501 Columbia Mall ‐ Arundel Mills Mall 4 21,063

503 Columbia Mall – Towne Centre Laurel via Savage 5 22,649

505 Columbia Mall ‐ BWI Airport 4 21,119Total 171,788

Howard County Expansion Routes: Buses and Hours

Four routes have been proposed for new coverage in Howard County:

410 Columbia Mall to Elkridge (expansion of 410 Columbia Mall to Long Reach)

412 Columbia Mall to Clarksville

413 Columbia Mall to Turf Valley/Waverly Woods

414 Columbia Mall to Laurel MARC/Towne Centre via APL and Maple Lawn Prioritization and phasing will need to be determined based on funding availability. The more direct connection between Columbia and Elkridge is supported by the relatively high level of regional commuting evident in the BMC demand model results; the Clarksville route is the return of a linkage that previously existed and responds to interest in transit from the Village of River Hill and Howard County Public Schools; the Turf Valley route serves a residential and employment growth area. The 414 would provide the first transit link to the County’s largest employer, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), and to the Maple Lawn mixed‐use community, which is close to buildout and includes a substantial residential



population, much of it at higher densities. APL participated in several TDP meetings and is very interested in transit alternatives to service its campus. The extension of this route to connect with the MARC Camden Line in Laurel would provide enhanced commuting opportunities in both directions. Table 6‐3 presents the number of buses required and the service hours for each of the expansion routes. It includes a line that is a place‐holder for the associated ADA paratransit service requirements. Unlike the Phase 1 and Phase 2 expansions which essentially serve areas that already have ADA complementary paratransit, the expansion areas are new coverage, and these is a need to need to serve the ADA eligible population within ¾ of a mile of these new fixed‐routes with complementary paratransit. Estimating paratransit demand for small areas, at an undefined point in the future is difficult, so to err on the side of caution an additional 15% in service hours is included and used in the subsequent estimate of costs. Table 6‐3: Howard County Expansion Routes Number of Buses and Service Hours

Route Origin‐Destination Number of Buses

Annual Fixed‐Route

Hours

15% ADA Hours

410

Columbia Mall –Long Reach: Extension to Elkridge 2 3,665

(Incremental) 550

412 Columbia Mall ‐ Clarksville 1 4,010 602

413 Columbia Mall –

Turf Valley/Waverly Woods 1 4,497 675

414

Columbia Mall – Towne Centre Laurel /MARC

via Maple Lawn 2 9,142 1,371

Total Hours 21,314 3,198

Estimated Costs—Howard County

Table 6‐4 presents the estimated operating costs in 2017 dollars. For the base service, the costs are presented using projected FY 2018 RTA fully‐allocated average cost rates of $75.43 per service hour for fixed route service. The hours shown include the 12% allowance for deadhead and pre/post trip inspections as shown in the individual route tables above. These base rates include the management fee spread over the number of FY 2018 service hours. However, because the management structure is already in place, and has the capacity to administer the additional fixed‐route service, the appropriate cost for the new services beyond the base is the incremental average hourly rate for fixed‐route service of $58.06. In Table 6‐4 the incremental hours of the planned services (above and beyond existing service) are separated and costed at the $58.06 per hour rate to present an estimate of the incremental



costs of the TDP proposed expansions. The initial Phase 1 restructuring has an incremental annual operating cost of $1,331,313 for a total annual fixed‐route operating budget of $9, 591,334. Full implementation of Phase 2 adds $2,284,661, resulting in a total fixed‐route operating budget of $11, 875,974. The expansion routes are each presented separately, along with additional ADA service hours are included for the expansion routes at the current average cost per hour of $91.15. Three additional paratransit vehicles are included in the capital plan to address this potential need. All of these operating costs are the full cost, and do not include any potential federal/state grant funding. It should be noted that under the RTA MOU, the 409, the 501, the 503 and the 505 routes cross‐jurisdictional lines, and the operating costs would be shared based on the revenue hours in each jurisdiction, so the actual incremental costs would not be quite as high.



Table 6‐4: Howard County Fixed‐Route Operating Costs

Exist

ing B

ase Se

rvice

Costs

109,497

n/a

75.43

n/a

$8,259,359

Phase I Incremen

tal C

osts (o

ver B

ase Se

rvice

)132,438

22,941

58.06

$1,331,954

$9,591,313

Phase 2 Incremen

tal C

osts (o

ver P

hase 1)

171,788

39,350

58.06

$2,284,661

$11,875,974

Expa

nsion Ro

ute Co

sts

Colum

bia M

all‐E

lkrid

ge3,665

58.06

$212,790

$38,605

$251,395

Colum

bia M

all‐C

larksville

3,427

58.06

$198,972

$42,254

$241,226

Colum

bia M

all‐T

urf V

alley/Waverly W

oods

4,497

58.06

$261,096

$47,378

$308,474

Colum

bia M

all‐T

own Ce

ntre La

urel via

APL/Map

le La

wn

7,902

58.06

$458,790

$96,230

$555,020

Sub‐To

tal: Expa

nsion Ro

utes

19,491

58.06

$1,131,647

$224

,467

$1,356,114

Total P

oten

tial C

ost: Ph

ase 1, Pha

se 2 an

d Expa

nsion Ro

utes

$13,232,089

(1) C

alculated ba

sed on

15% ad

ditio

nal h

ours times estim

ated

increm

ental cost o

f RTA

ADA

paratransit of $70.19 p

er se

rvice

hou

r.

Previous chapters have documented that the large number of overage vehicles in the fleet hascontributed to unreliable service, and that users want better buses and reliable service.Howard County has funded seven new heavy duty buses which are scheduled for delivery inDecember 2017. However, the lack of a complete Fleet Management Plan has hampered theability of the RTA and the counties to be in compliance with state and federal requirements,or to obtain the funding needed to address this problem. While grant funding has helped theparatransit fleet the last grant funding received for the fixed route fleet was in FY 2012.

In Chapter 4, an inventory of the RTA fleet was used as the basis for a description of the fleetin terms of ownership of the vehicles. Under the RTA’s current organizational structure thefour partners each have assets used by the system. Each is a separate grant recipient, andMTA compliance monitoring treats each as a separate jurisdiction. Under the MOU signed byall the partners, each jurisdiction can lease its assets to the RTA, replace them throughmechanisms outside the RTA, or withdraw them. Consequently, in this TDP the fleetinventory and the fleet replacement and expansion plans are developed separately byjurisdiction, based on ownership, and assessed in terms of the number of peak vehiclesneeded to provide the services in or on behalf of that jurisdiction.

Despite the separate presentation, the partners could potentially meet the identified needs forthe services they obtain from the RTA by sharing in the costs of a unified fleet that would beprocured by a single entity, most likely Howard County. Cost shares can be based on thepercentage of system service hours operated in each jurisdiction, as proposed by HowardCounty. However, there are some potential issues. It is not clear how Anne Arundel County,for example, could apply for grant funding for a share of a fleet titled to Howard County—asthe RTA is not a legal entity it could not hold title or apply for the grants itself. Also, if anentity decided to leave the RTA, or withdraw its assets, it could be difficult to determinewhich assets had been funded by that entity—would it take some vehicles? Or would theother partners need to buy them out and retain the vehicles?

Fleet Plans—Replacement of Existing Vehicles and Expansion Vehicles

In the following sections, there are two tables for each jurisdiction. Each table uses data fromthe RTA Master Fleet inventory regarding the current fleet, ownership, service type, andprojected year of eligibility for replacement. The replacement years are based on the MTAminimum life cycle for that type of vehicle:

Heavy Duty Bus: 12 years or 500,000 miles,Medium Duty Bus: 8 years or 250,000 miles,

Cutaway: 6 years or 200,000 miles, andSedans: 5 years or 100,000 miles.

The format of the tables is based on the vehicle plan format developed for use in MTAprocured fleet management plans. The shaded area covers vehicles that are eligible forreplacement based on MTA guidelines, those not shaded are not yet eligible. There are twotables for each jurisdiction—one that deals with the replacement of the existing fleet, and theother shows the fleet plan that could potentially be used to replace existing vehicles andimplement proposed expansions. These are illustrative—none of the partners has made acommitment to a particular level or order of expansion. This second table shows the level ofresources that would be needed for full implementation—i.e. the investment required toreplace all overage vehicles and initiate all the service proposals.

Table 6 9 presents the fleet replacement plan for the existing Howard County owned fleet,including both fixed route and paratransit vehicles. The table is based on a 2017 draft FleetManagement Plan (FMP), but adjusted to reflect:

The need for 23 vehicles for the peak, including the three needed for the 503. The 503connects Columbia Mall and Towne Centre Laurel, and is 90% in Howard County.

County acquisition (using county funds for a lease/purchase plan) of 7 heavy dutybuses (due for delivery at the end of CY 2017), and 8 cutaways for paratransit—thesewere not included in the draft FMP.

Howard County proposed purchase of 6 heavy duty buses in FY 2019 under alease/purchase plan using county funds.

A desire to achieve the required maximum 20% spare ratio in the near term.

The active paratransit fleet of 21 vehicles.

As can be seen, the proposed plan calls for a significant elimination of overage vehicles as thecounty funded FY 2018 and FY 2019 vehicles are added to the fleet. This allows a significantreduction in the percentage of vehicles eligible for retirement, from 33% in FY 2017 to 0% inFY 2021, after an increase in FY 2018 as some additional vehicles age.



Table 6‐9: Recommended Vehicle Replacement/Expansion Plan for the Howard County Fleet‐Base Service

Model Year OEM Length Type FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022 FY 2023

2002 Gillig 40 Heavy Duty 2 0 0 0 0 0 02004 Eldorado 30 Medium Duty 1 0 0 0 0 0 02006 Eldorado 30 Medium Duty 1 0 0 0 0 0 0UNK Thomas 30 Heavy Duty 8 0 0 0 0 0 02008 Gillig 35 Heavy Duty 1 1 1 0 0 0 0UNK 35 Heavy Duty 1 1 1 0 0 0 02009 Gillig 35 Heavy Duty 1 1 1 1 0 0 0UNK International 30 Medium Duty 1 0 0 0 0 0 02010 Eldorado 30 Medium Duty 8 6 0 0 0 0 02011 Gillig 40 Heavy Duty 3 3 3 3 3 3 22012 Eldorado 30 Medium Duty 2 2 2 0 0 0 02013 Eldorado 30 Medium Duty 3 3 3 3 0 0 02014 Eldorado 30 Medium Duty 1 1 1 1 1 0 0

2017 BYD 40 Heavy Duty‐E (1) 3 3 3 3 3 3 32018 TBD 30 Heavy Duty (2) 7 7 7 7 7 72019 TBD 35 Heavy Duty (3) 6 6 6 6 62020 TBD 30 Medium Duty 5 5 5 52021 TBD 35 Heavy Duty 3 3 32022 TBD 30 Medium Duty 3 32023 TBD 40 Heavy Duty 0 0

36 28 28 29 28 30 2923 23 23 23 23 23 23

36.11% 17.86% 17.86% 20.69% 17.86% 23.33% 20.69%12 11 5 3 0 0 233% 39% 18% 10% 0% 0% 7%

(1) Delivered‐In Service(2) Ordered, on assembly line(3) Budgeted

Fixed‐Route

Percentage Eligible for Retirement

TotalPeak Vehicle Requirement‐Base (includes 503)Spare RatioNumber Eligible for Retirement



Table 6‐9: Recommended Vehicle Replacement/Expansion Plan for the Howard County Fleet‐Base Service (continued)

Table 6‐10 presents a fleet plan that encompasses the proposed expansions, beginning with Phase 1 in FY 2019, incremental additions to support Phase 2 (or for the expansion routes) between FY 2019 and FY 2022, with full implementation of Phase 2 in FY 2022, and then implementation of the expansion routes in FY 2023. The expansion routes could be implemented in the interim period, with Phase 2 at the end, but the end of period fleet size would be the same.


2014 Ford Fusion 16 Sedan 4 4 4 0 0 0 02014 International 32 Medium Duty 1 1 1 1 1 1 02014 Ford Phoenix 26 Cutaway 5 5 5 5 0 0 02015 Ford Fusion 16 Sedan 3 3 3 3 0 0 02015 Ford Phoenix 26 Cutaway 8 8 8 8 8 0 020162017 Ford Phoenix 26 Cutaway 8 8 8 8 8 8 820182019 TBD 16 Sedan 4 4 4 42020 TBD 16 Sedan 3 3 32020 TBD 26 Cutaway 5 5 520212022 TBD 26 Cutaway 8 82023 TBD 32 Medium Duty 1

29 29 29 29 29 29 2924 24 24 24 24 24 24

17.24% 17.24% 17.24% 17.24% 17.24% 17.24% 17.24%0 0 4 8 8 1 8

0.00% 0.00% 13.79% 27.59% 27.59% 3.45% 27.59%

Vehicles in shaded areas are eligible for replacement.Blank cells mean no vehicles need to be purchased in that year.

UNK: Unknown

Paratransit

Total

Spare RatioNumber Eligible for RetirementPercentage Eligible for Retirement

Peak Vehicle Requirement‐Base



Table 6‐10: Recommended Vehicle Replacement/Expansion Plan for Howard County Fleet‐Phase 1, Phase 2, and Expansion


2002 Gillig 40 Heavy Duty 2 0 0 0 0 02004 Eldorado 30 Medium Duty 1 1 0 0 0 02006 Eldorado 30 Medium Duty 1 1 0 0 0 0UNK Thomas 30 Heavy Duty 8 0 0 0 0 02008 Gillig 35 Heavy Duty 1 1 1 0 0 0UNK 35 Heavy Duty 1 1 1 0 0 02009 Gillig 35 Heavy Duty 1 1 1 1 0 0UNK International 30 Medium Duty 1 1 0 0 0 02010 Eldorado 30 Medium Duty 8 8 4 0 0 02011 Gillig 40 Heavy Duty 3 3 3 3 3 3 22012 Eldorado 30 Medium Duty 2 2 2 2 0 02013 Eldorado 30 Medium Duty 3 3 3 3 0 02014 Eldorado 30 Medium Duty 1 1 1 1 1 0

2017 BYD 40 Heavy Duty‐E 3 3 3 3 3 3 32018 TBD 30 Heavy Duty 7 7 7 7 7 72019 TBD 35 Heavy Duty 10 10 10 10 102020 TBD 30 Medium Duty 7 7 7 102021 TBD 35 Heavy Duty 8 8 82022 TBD 30 Medium Duty 4 42023 TBD 40 Heavy Duty 0 5

36 33 36 37 39 42 49Peak Vehicle Requirement (1) 23 26 28 30 32 34 39Spare Ratio 36.11% 21.21% 22.22% 18.92% 17.95% 19.05% 20.41%Number Eligible for Retirement 12 16 10 5 0 1 2Percentage Eligible for Retirement 33% 48% 28% 14% 0% 2% 4%(1) FY 2017 is base existing service level, FY 2018 is Phase 1, 2019‐2022 ramp up to full Phase 2, and FY 2023 is four expansion routes.

Fixed‐Route

Total



Table 6‐10: Recommended Vehicle Replacement/Expansion Plan for Howard County‐Paratransit Fleet‐Phase 1, Phase 2, and Expansion (continued)


2014 Ford Fusion 16 Sedan 4 4 4 0 0 0 02014 International 32 Medium Duty 1 1 1 1 1 1 02014 Ford Phoenix 26 Cutaway 5 5 5 5 0 0 02015 Ford Fusion 16 Sedan 3 3 3 3 0 0 02015 Ford Phoenix 26 Cutaway 8 8 8 8 8 0 020162017 Ford Phoenix 26 Cutaway 8 8 8 8 8 8 82018 2019 TBD 16 Sedan 4 4 4 42020 TBD 16 Sedan 3 3 32020 TBD 26 Cutaway 5 5 52021 2022 TBD 26 Cutaway 8 82023 TBD 32 Medium Duty 12023 TBD 26 Cutaway 6

29 29 29 29 29 29 3524 24 24 24 24 24 29

17.24% 17.24% 17.24% 17.24% 17.24% 17.24% 17.14%0 0 4 8 8 1 8

0.00% 0.00% 13.79% 27.59% 27.59% 3.45% 22.86%

Vehicles in shaded areas are eligible for replacement.Blank cells mean no vehicles need to be purchased in that year.

UNK: Unknown

Number Eligible for RetirementPercentage Eligible for Retirement

Peak Vehicle Requirement‐Base

Paratransit

Total

Spare Ratio



Table 6‐15: Summary of Fleet Plans ‐ Howard County and Anne Arundel County

Numbe

rPrice

Total

Numbe

rPrice

Total

Numbe

rPrice

Total

Numbe

rPrice

Total

Numbe

rPrice

Total

Numbe

rPrice

Total

Hea

vy Duty

$375,764

$390,795

$03

$406,426

$1,219,279

$422,683

$0$439,591

$0$457,174

$0$475,461

$0 M

edium Duty

$218,972

4$227,731

$910,924

$236,840

$0$246,314

$0$256,166

$0$266,413

$0$277,069

$0Cu

taway + Fa

rebo

x$75,139

$78,145

$0$81,270

$0$84,521

$0$87,902

$0$91,418

$0$95,075

$0 Cutaw

ay$60,139

$62,545

$0$65,046

$0$67,648

$0$70,354

$0$73,168

$0$76,095

$0 Sed

an$25,000

$26,000

$0$27,040

$0$28,122

$0$29,246

$0$30,416

$0$31,633

$0To

tal B

ase Re

placem

ent

$910,924

$1,219,279

$0$0

$0$0

$2,130,203

Hea

vy Duty

$375,764

$390,795

$08

$406,426

$3,251,411

$422,683

$03

$439,591

$1,318,772

$457,174

$04

$475,461

$1,901,845

Med

ium Duty

$218,972

4$227,731

$910,924

$236,840

$0$246,314

$0$256,166

$03

$266,413

$799,239

$277,069

$0Cu

taway + Fa

rebo

x$75,139

$78,145

$0$81,270

$010

$84,521

$845,212

3$87,902

$263,706

$91,418

$02

$95,075

$190,150

Cutaw

ay$60,139

$62,545

$0$65,046

$0$67,648

$02

$70,354

$140,708

2$73,168

$146,337

$76,095

$0 Sed

an$25,000

$26,000

$0$27,040

$0$28,122

$0$29,246

$0$30,416

$0$31,633

$0To

tal w

ith Ex

pansions

$910,924

$3,251,411

$845,212

$1,723,186

$945,575

$2,091,995

$9,768,303

2022

2023

Total for

Years

2018‐2023

Base

Unit

Cost

2018

2019

Coun

ty

With

Expa

nsions

2020

2021

Anne

Arund

el Cou

nty

Base Rep

lacemen

t

Numbe

rPrice

Total

Numbe

rPrice

Total

Numbe

rPrice

Total

Numbe

rPrice

Total

Numbe

rPrice

Total

Numbe

rPrice

Total

Hea

vy Duty

$375,764

7$390,795

$2,735,562

6$406,426

$2,438,558

$422,683

$03

$439,591

$1,318,772

$457,174

$0$475,461

$0 M

edium Duty

$218,972

$227,731

$0$236,840

$05

$246,314

$1,231,569

$256,166

$03

$266,413

$799,239

1$277,069

$277,069

Cutaway + Farebo

x$75,139

$78,145

$0$81,270

$05

$84,521

$422,606

$87,902

$08

$91,418

$731,345

$95,075

$0 Cutaw

ay$60,139

$62,545

$0$65,046

$05

$67,648

$338,241

$70,354

$08

$73,168

$585,346

$76,095

$0 Se

dan

$25,000

$26,000

$04

$27,040

$108,160

3$28,122

$84,365

$29,246

$0$30,416

$0$31,633

$0To

tal B

ase Re

placem

ent

$2,735,562

$2,546,718

$2,076,780

$1,318,772

$2,115,930

$277,069

$11,070,831

Hea

vy Duty

$375,764

7$390,795

$2,735,562

10$406,426

$4,064,263

$422,683

$08

$439,591

$3,516,726

$457,174

$05

$475,461

$2,377,307

Med

ium Duty

$218,972

$227,731

$0$236,840

$07

$246,314

$1,724,196

$256,166

$04

$266,413

$1,065,652

1$277,069

$277,069

Cutaway + Farebo

x$75,139

$78,145

$0$81,270

$0$84,521

$0$87,902

$0$91,418

$0$95,075

$0 Cutaw

ay$60,139

$62,545

$0$65,046

$05

$67,648

$338,241

$70,354

$08

$73,168

$585,346

6$76,095

$456,570

Seda

n$25,000

$26,000

$04

$27,040

$108,160

3$28,122

$84,365

$29,246

$0$30,416

$0$31,633

$0To

tal w

ith Ex

pansions

$2,735,562

$4,172,423

$2,146,802

$3,516,726

$1,650,998

$3,110,946

$17,333,457

Base

Unit

Cost

2023

With

Expa

nsions

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Total for

Years

2018‐2023

Howard Co

unty

Base Rep

lacemen

t

Coun

ty

Fare Collection

As a result of its history, the RTA has issues with fares that could be addressed in part if it hada modern electronic registering farebox system instead of using simple drop boxes.

The RTA has two distinct fare policies, as described in Chapter 4. This alone causes additionalwork for the operators, different revenue levels in different jurisdictions, and confusion forriders. Therefore, the RTA would like to settle on one fare structure. Modern fareboxes couldpotentially allow for new multi ride options, including smart phone payment or stored valuecards—potentially increasing customer convenience and ridership.

A significant related issue is that many RTA customers transfer to or from MTA services orWMATA services, and RTA does not have transfer arrangements with either system becausethey do not consider that drop boxes provide adequate accounting for any kind of sharedrevenue that would result from a transfer agreement. RTA policies vary for each system. Thereis no transfer agreement with WMATA, so users simply pay a second fare; there is a limitednumber of MTA/RTA shared stops where the RTA will accept display of an MTA Charm Cardas a transfer, and accept a reduced fare. However, there is no sharing of revenue, and RTAriders transferring to MTA buses must pay a full second fare. A modern farebox system wouldallow negotiation of fare policies to facilitate transfers, as the revenue accounting functionwould be supported by farebox data collection.

Finally, there is a need to have accurate data about ridership and revenue if the RTA is toobtain policy level buy in from its partners. Modern electronic registering fareboxes wouldfacilitate revenue accounting, which is difficult to achieve with the drop boxes and manualcounters now used. Ridership counts and reconciliation with revenues would be possible, andif a working automatic passenger counting system was integrated with the system it wouldprovide better data with less manual work.

For these reasons a $15,000 estimated cost of new electronic registering fareboxes is includedin the vehicle prices used for heavy duty and medium buses, and is added to cutawaysrequired for the Call N Ride services. Depending on the dispatch technology used, thesevehicles may not ultimately require fareboxes if the fares are paid through a smart phone orstored value card—a simple reader may be all that is needed. The $15,000 unit cost isconsistent with the amount used in MTA medium bus procurements.



FACILITIES

Operations Facility

RTA administrative offices are located in an office park located at 8510 Corridor Road, Suite 110 Savage, Maryland 20763, while the operations facility is located a short distance away at 8800 Corridor Road, Annapolis Junction, Maryland 20701. The 22,000 square foot operations facility supports over 200 employees. It was jointly funded by Howard County, Anne Arundel County, MTA and FTA. It is a modern facility completed in March 2015. It includes vehicle storage, employee parking, dispatch, operations offices, five maintenance bays, one wash bay, an additional vehicle bay, parts storage, fueling and a backup generator. The bus parking is arranged in a pull‐through layout, and the entire area is fenced with a single gated entrance.

Operations Facility

The facility is designed to support a maximum fleet of 105 buses. The RTA has additional bus storage for the 29 inactive vehicles at off‐site locations. The operations facility has adequate capacity for current RTA operations, though full build‐out of the TDP recommendations would result in a fleet of 135 vehicles1, which is beyond the design capacity of the Corridor Road facility. In addition there are 44 paratransit vehicles now operated under the Anne Arundel County Office of Transportation (formerly operated by the Department of Aging and Disabilities) that are maintained by the county at other locations, and previous studies have

1 49 Howard fixed‐route, 35 Howard paratransit, 37 Anne Arundel fixed‐route/Call N Ride, 6 Anne Arundel paratransit, 8 Prince George’s County fixed‐route.



Source: Downtown Columbia Transit Center, Location and Site Analysis

identified a desire on the part of the county to address the maintenance and storage needs for this fleet in a different way. While it is not clear whether or when a consolidated fleet of 135 transit vehicles will be operated by the RTA, the possibility suggests that at some point in the life of this TDP there will be a need to evaluate the potential need for an additional facility. If Anne Arundel County implements most of the recommendations in this plan, the 43 vehicles called for in the TDP combined with the county’s paratransit fleet (currently 44 vehicles) would justify a second facility, potentially located in the central part of the county to minimize deadhead. The potential Howard County fleet of 84 vehicles would make use of most of the capacity of the Corridor Road facility at that point.

Columbia Transit Center Currently RTA services in Howard County hub at the existing downtown Columbia Transit Center. It is located adjacent to the Columbia Mall, in the mall parking lot area near Sears at the west end of the mall. The mall property is owned by GGP (formerly named General Growth Properties). The transit center includes linear bus bays serving the eight local RTA routes. The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) operates six commuter and express routes at a separate location by the mall’s southwestern parking areas. The Columbia Transit Center has no commuter parking associated for RTA routes; however, the MTA has existing parking agreements with GGP for commuter customers.

Downtown Columbia Transit Center



Source: Downtown Columbia Transit Center, Location and Site Analysis

The existing transit facility structure consists of steel shelters and linear bus bays. There are no restrooms or additional facilities—patrons must walk to the mall. Transit services are provided on an hourly pulse to enable timely transfer of passengers between routes.

Downtown Columbia Transit Center Shelters

As part of the redevelopment of the Columbia Mall area, the Downtown Columbia Plan requires that Howard Hughes Corporation, the master developer2 for Downtown Columbia General Growth Properties provide a location for a new transit center prior to the issuance of a building permit for the 1.3 millionth square foot of development. The Downtown Columbia Transit Center Location and Site Analysis Study (October 2017) identifies a preferred site to accommodate RTA services, MTA services and potential future bus rapid transit (BRT). The site for the new facility is on the south side of the mall Ring Road along Little Patuxent Parkway (near Union Jacks pub/restaurant). It is to be developed by the Howard County Housing Commission as a mixed‐use project, with the transit center portion of the project funded by the Downtown Columbia property tax increment. The Transit Center would include fourteen bus bays, including eight for current RTA routes plus two for growth, two for MTA Commuter Bus, and two for future BRT. The services proposed in the TDP can be accommodated by the proposed facility. The timing of the development of the Transit Center is uncertain at this point. The most likely scenario calls for development of this facility in the eight‐ to ten‐year time frame, beyond this TDP planning period. The Downtown Columbia Transit Center Location and Site Analysis Study recommends that the Howard County Office of Transportation initiate engineering investigations regarding a potential interim transit center, if a new transit center is needed before the preferred site becomes available for redevelopment. 2 Howard Hughes Corporation is the master developer for Downtown Columbia. General Growth Properties is the former master developer.

As discussed in Chapter 3, the RTA has low name recognition, possibly due to the recentmerger of Howard County Transit and Central Maryland Regional Transit under the nameRTA. Nearly 70% of residents in the RTA service area either know the system by name only orhave never heard of RTA. In addition, even current users may be confused because of the factthat the current fleet includes a diverse collection of buses painted in a variety of colorschemes, and it currently has two distinct fare policies inherited from the two precursorsystems. This lack of name recognition and the perception that the system is difficult to usemean that the RTA should continue to build on its marketing and branding efforts at thesame time as it works to improve its service offerings.


Chapter 7: Future Transit Development

Chapter 7 Future Transit Development

INTRODUCTION This chapter presents information about future transit developments in the region that will likely take place beyond the time period covered by this TDP. The TDP plans address the current fleet issues, restructure and improve the local services in the region, setting the stage for these next developments.

BUS RAPID TRANSIT - BRT

Introduction Exhibit 7‐1: Plan Howard 2030 Rapid Transit Corridors

In 2012, Plan Howard 2030, Howard County’s general plan identified three rapid transit corridors for further study, as seen in Exhibit 7‐1. These three corridors were identified to address three primary concerns:

Addressing congestion on the US 29 Corridor

Providing better regional transit along the county’s commercial corridors

Enhancing transportation connections between the county’s major economic activity areas.

The Plan Howard 2030 implementation section called for further study of the US 29, MD 32 and US 1 Corridors to test ridership and technical feasibility and based on this guidance, the Howard County has advanced the development of Bus Rapid Transit. (BRT) via a series of planning and design studies.



What is Bus Rapid Transit?

Bus Rapid Transit is a bus‐based transit system that delivers fast, comfortable, and cost‐effective transit services along a spectrum of service levels and right‐of‐way treatments. Traditionally, bus rapid transit is the next step in a bus route’s evolution, and is implemented when a route exceeds its carrying capacity and/or is so negatively impacted by traffic congestion, that travel time reliability and headways can no longer be maintained. Some potential elements of BRT are:

Dedicated right‐of‐way along and busways on the whole corridor and/or in congested areas.

Systems to allow buses to hold or advance traffic signals so they are not delayed at intersections.

Off‐board fare collection to minimize the amount of time it takes passengers to enter the bus.

High frequency service with buses arriving every few minutes, at least during peak hours.

Bus stations that are level with the bus floor to allow passengers to enter and leave quickly.

Stops located in high demand locations.

Larger buses to allow more passengers to board per bus.

Completed Planning Studies A concept plan 1 for Bus Rapid Transit was the initial BRT study conducted for Howard County. It presented a very high‐level plan and costs for a BRT system along a wide range of roads and corridors, but did not perform ridership analyses, develop a service plan or perform any operational analysis.

1 Howard County BRT—Concept Plans and Preliminary Cost Estimates for the Envisioned System, for the Howard County Office of Transportation, April 20, 2012.

Exhibit 7‐2: BRT Bus and Station (Las Vegas, Nevada)



Following the completion of the concept plan, the county developed a Phase I study2. The purpose of the study was to evaluate a BRT network for the county, including linkages to multiple activity centers and transit systems. The study included ridership analysis and the impact on both transit and vehicle travel times on the routes, car trips diverted to transit, for the routes presented in the concept plan. The study was developed based on a best‐case scenario, i.e., the system had all the characteristics a BRT system. The study focused on four corridors:

1. US 29 between Mount Hebron and Silver Spring 2. Broken Land Parkway between Columbia Town Center and Savage MARC Station 3. MD 32 between Clarksville and Odenton Town Center 4. MD 216 between Scaggsville and Odenton Town Center

In a Phase II study3, the county expanded the previous Concept Plan and Phase I efforts with additional detail and rigor. The purpose of the Phase II study was to identify and evaluate the corridors and feasible alternatives to demonstrate the potential for attracting riders and receiving funding, and to develop alternatives to a level that could be carried forward to the next stage of right‐of‐way design, environmental impact and preliminary engineering. The Phase II effort focused on three corridors US 29, Broken Land Parkway, and US 1, and examined specific route alignment and stations, ancillary feeder transit services, landside services such as park and rides and pedestrian accessibility, preliminary operating costs, and land use plans to support high quality transit service within and between them. The Phase I and II studies documented a significant travel market and demand for high quality BRT to/from and within Howard County for each of the three corridors should a high‐quality BRT system be developed. Study modelling found that in the design year of 2035, a three route BRT system could:

Generate 9,080 new transit trips from Howard county, and

Generate new 12,579 new transit trips to Howard County. Other important findings were:

Significant demand from the northernmost stations due to their proximity to I‐70, and the new travel markets that this opens up.

2 Sabra, Wang & Associates, Inc., Howard County Bus Rapid Transit Phase I Study Technical Report, for the Howard County Office of Transportation. 3 Sabra, Wang & Associates, Inc., Howard County Bus Rapid Transit Phase II Study Technical Report, for the Howard County Office of Transportation, April 5, 2016



The network connections and the “system” connectivity offered by tying the three corridors together to major activity centers and regional fixed‐rail transit networks expand connectivity and open up new travel markets.

Much of the demand is for the drive access/park and ride transit users which generates significant demand for park and ride lots.

Local feeder routes and integration of MTA commuter routes are an important element supporting potential ridership.

What’s Next

Howard County’s consideration of BRT is now focused on the Route 29 Corridor and the opportunity presented to work with Montgomery County as it develops, plans and implements a BRT service on Route 29 between Burtonsville and Silver Spring.

Montgomery County BRT Several years of planning for BRT in Montgomery County culminated in the 2015 development of a Preliminary Purpose and Needs Statement for BRT in the US 29 corridor, which was followed by the development of an application for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation. In 2016 Montgomery County included $6.5 million in the capital budget for planning and design—with the goal of getting BRT on the Route 29 Corridor within four years. The county’s proposal succeeded in obtaining the TIGER grant funding, and the county is now in the engineering and procurement phases of the implementation. The proposed service will run from the Burtonsville Park and Ride lot to Silver Spring, primarily using the existing bus‐on‐shoulder lanes on the northern portion of the route, operating in mixed‐traffic on the southern portion of the route, and on local streets to access stops that are off US 29. Transit signal priority will be installed at up to fifteen intersections, with service from 6:00 a.m. to midnight seven days per week on 7.5 minute headways during the peak periods and 15 minutes off‐peak. Stops will be at designated stations with easy access and amenities, and special buses with Wi‐Fi and other amenities will be used. Montgomery County is aiming to implement service operations by early 2020, which is sooner than Howard County had anticipated its development of bus rapid transit.



Howard County BRT

Howard County sees many of the same advantages for BRT as anticipated by Montgomery County in terms of providing improved transit travel times, increased reliability, increased frequency—and addressing the continuing growth of traffic on the US 29 Corridor. BRT would also support the plans for the redevelopment of Downtown Columbia, with its increase in both residents and employment. BRT has been included in the planning for the new Downtown Columbia Transit Center, where two bays have been reserved in the conceptual plan, and access concepts for Downtown Columbia includes lanes linking the BRT with Downtown Columbia. Earlier implementation of BRT could affect the need for development of the Transit Center, or the need for an interim transfer center to link RTA, BRT and MTA commuter services. Howard County and Montgomery County are currently coordinating efforts around the development of an extension of the Montgomery BRT (now branded as “Flash”). The two counties are developing an MOU. There are issues in terms of defining the services—the Phase II BRT study for Howard County calls for stops at MD 216, Columbia, Long Gate/Ellicott City and Mt. Hebron. Montgomery County is moving ahead with vehicle procurement, and one scenario could have Howard County purchasing vehicles for its service as options on that procurement, or providing a capital contribution to a combined fleet. Other issues yet to be addressed include the manner in which the extensive MTA commuter bus service from Howard County would be integrated with the BRT. Currently the MTA pays the cost of these services, and MTA commuter buses utilize existing bus‐on‐shoulder lanes in Montgomery County. Service planning will need to determine how these services might be integrated into BRT. The impact of BRT development in Montgomery County is that this vision for high quality, high frequency transit in the US 29 Corridor may be able to come to fruition sooner, rather than later, in tandem with the development of Downtown Columbia. In addition, the development of the BRT corridor in Howard County would be a first step toward the continued development of high‐frequency transit within the county on a proposed east‐west transitway emerging from the Bridge Columbia initiative, as discussed in the following section.



BRIDGE COLUMBIA EAST-WEST TRANSITWAY CONCEPT This TDP recommends a complementary transit concept for a high‐frequency east‐west transit corridor within Howard County, linking the Howard County General Hospital, Howard Community College, Downtown Columbia, and Snowden Square and the Gateway employment area. As proposed, it would connect most of higher density residential and employment locations in Howard County. It would connect with the BRT, local RTA routes, and MTA services at the new Downtown Columbia Transit Center. In terms of the overall regional connectivity concept presented in Exhibit 7‐3, this concept corresponds to the Village Connector shown in red, although the actual route would be different.

Background

Although not widely known, the original Final Development Plans for Columbia included a designated right‐of‐way for a separate “Minibus” transit network separated from the street network. These rights‐of‐ways are owned by the Columbia Association, and many are currently improved with the paved bicycle/pedestrian pathways. Friends of Bridge Columbia (Friends), a citizen’s group formed to advocate for a signature bridge over US 29 also called for using this transitway for a separate busway network that would connect east‐ and west‐ Columbia with a transit bridge over US 29. The proposed transitway was intended to avoid automobile traffic and improve transit speeds and reliability, support Village Centers on its route, support Downtown Columbia and Gateway redevelopment, and provide service that would be usable by the growing senior population. Analysis of the concept revealed that the proposed corridor location addressed many of the Friends’ goals, particularly considering projected population and employment concentrations4. As the Downtown Columbia plan is implemented and Gateway redevelopment occurs, the conceptual transitway would serve the existing areas of residential and employment density, key origins and destinations, and several of the Village Centers. It is the corridor entirely within the county most likely to support high‐frequency transit. However, even in projections for 2040 the densities do not reach thresholds5 justifying a

4 See separate report prepared concurrently with the TDP – Bridge Columbia Transitway Study. 5 Planning guidelines call for 15 housing units per acre and/or 75 employees per acre as thresholds for busway feasibility.

Exhibit 7‐3: Future Regional Connectivity Concept



separate busway. In addition, the right‐of‐way that was set‐aside for the busway network is 40 to 50 feet wide. Under today’s standards, it would be completely occupied by a two‐way busway with no buffer to adjoining properties. Because of the likely environmental damage, the proximity to existing housing, the likely high cost, and the current and projected level of transit ridership, the notion of a separate transitway network in its entirety is not justified for the foreseeable future.

Concept

While a separate transitway network is not warranted, the identified corridor is appropriate for the future development of improved transit. The transitway analysis showed that surface streets and highways can be used for most of the route. Current and future congestion on Route 175 between Dobbin Center Parkway past Tamar Drive could require transit priority measures such as bus‐on‐shoulder queue‐jumper lanes and signal priority. An alternative routing that could service Oakland Mills could be implemented if the “third interchange” bridge were built across US 296. Studies for this bridge include options that would link east and west Columbia as well as provide access from US 29. Including a transit lane or transit priority on the bridge would support faster and more reliable transit. Figure 7‐1 presents two conceptual routes for the Downtown to Gateway corridor utilizing different bridge options. Continued development of this concept should add the other elements typically found in BRT like services—enhanced shelters, stops, special branding, real‐time schedule information at stops—along with other locations where signal priority or other priority treatments would be advantageous. In addition the implementation of fully‐electric buses on the 401 which began in 2017 (see Exhibit 7‐4) sets a precedent for using specialty buses with separate branding on this route.

6 Howard County, Maryland, Downtown Columbia Plan: A General Plan Amendment, February 1, 2010; and Wallace Montgomery, Draft Feasibility Study for Downtown Columbia Transportation Improvements‐Little Patuxent Parkway/U.S.29 Interchange, January 2012.



Figure 7‐1: East‐West Transitway Concepts: Using Proposed Third Interchange Bridge

or Transit/Bicycle/Pedestrian Replacement Bridge

Exhibit 7‐4: Electric Bus Used on RTA 401 Service

Source: RTA of Central Maryland



Building on Existing Services

Currently there are four RTA routes that operate in the area served by the Corridor—the 401, 406, 407 and 408, as shown in Figure 7‐2. The 401, the 407 and the 408 are proposed to operate at 30 minute headways. The long‐range concept for the east‐west transitway service would combine the 401 and the 406 into a single route, operating at higher frequencies as ridership increases with the growth of Downtown Columbia and the redevelopment of Gateway. Figure 7‐2: Existing RTA Services and the Transit right‐of‐way.



Connecting with Future Services

As noted above, this proposed new east‐west route would connect with the future Downtown Columbia circulator shuttle at the new Downtown Columbia Transit Center. It would also connect with the future BRT on US 29. Figure 7‐3 presents a map of these proposed high‐frequency transit services. Figure 7‐3 Howard County’s Future High Frequency Transit Services

If operated at planned Montgomery County frequencies, it would operate at 7.5 minute headways in the peak, and 15 minute headways off‐peak. An east‐west transit service operating at similar headways could effectively extend the impact of the BRT to much of Columbia, particularly the major activity centers.

Timing

The potential timing of implementation is linked to the future implementation of a number of elements. The Montgomery County BRT is slated to begin service from Burtonsville in 2020. The timing of an extension to Columbia is not known, but likely be later. The Downtown Columbia Transit Center is estimated for construction in eight to ten years. The Third



Interchange Bridge is included in the Downtown Columbia plan, but there is no estimate of the date when it will be warranted. The redevelopment of the Gateway area will take a number of years, perhaps achieving most of its growth by 2040. Consequently the development of the East‐West Transitway high‐frequency bus service will not likely occur during the period covered by this TDP, but it is potentially a part of the next one. At that point the basic combined east‐west route could be evaluated, and perhaps implemented at current frequencies using the existing roads, perhaps with priority treatments. By then BRT implementation will be in place, and the need for the Third Interchange bridge will be better understood and there may be more certainty about the potential routing.

DOWNTOWN COLUMBIA CIRCULATOR

Howard County’s 2010 Downtown Columbia Plan recommends a circulator shuttle to reduce Downtown Columbia traffic as residents, employees and visitors “park once,” then walk or take the shuttle to other destinations in Downtown Columbia. Under the Plan’s Community Enhancement, Program and Public Amenity (CEPPA) #23 requirements GGP (now Howard Hughes) must provide $1,000,000 towards the initial funding of a Downtown Circulator Shuttle prior to issuance of a building permit for the 5 millionth square foot of development. Issuance of a building permit for the 1.3 millionth square foot of development is expected in late 2017 or early 2018. Due to market conditions it is uncertain when a permit for the 5 millionth square foot of development will be issued but it will likely be in at least four or five years towards the end of the life of this TDP.

CEPPA #5 required a study of the shuttle to evaluate and determine appropriate levels of service and phasing in of service at various levels of development. Howard Hughes completed this study in 20117. The study’s key recommendations were (in summary):

A Downtown Columbia circulator should begin operations when there are enough new residents in Downtown Columbia seeking such service, as determined through the results of monitoring surveys.

A transportation demand management plan should be established for Downtown Columbia with a periodic monitoring program that can establish a clear metric(s) for when a circulator shuttle is appropriate.

The short‐term circulator should utilize existing mall and surrounding roads with approximately six stops near existing buildings and the mall. The circulator should operate on a fixed schedule, departing the transit center every 20‐minutes.

7 Downtown Columbia Downtown Transit Center and Circulator Shuttle Feasibility Study.



In the long‐term, the circulator should extend its route to the Crescent area when new development in that area is occupied and reporting a need through the monitoring program’s surveys. Frequencies should increase to 15‐ minutes.

DOWNTOWN COLUMBIA TRANSIT CENTER As noted in Chapter 6, planning is underway for a new Downtown Columbia Transit Center to serve as the central station for the BRT, RTA routes, MTA commuter bus, the Downtown Columbia shuttle. The facility will be centrally located in Downtown Columbia.

An alternatives analysis conducted for Howard County evaluated several sites, and the recommended site (known as Site 3) is located on the southside of Mall Ring Road along Little Patuxent Parkway (near Union Jacks Pub/Restaurant)8. The analysis call for fourteen bus bays—eight for existing RTA routes, two for RTA growth, two for MTA, and two for BRT routes. It will have sheltered waiting areas, bicycle parking, a transit information booth, facilities for driver break time (including restrooms), real‐time transit information, and commuter parking for MTA routes. The facility is intended to be part of a mixed‐use, mixed‐income residential project developed by the Howard County Housing Commission.

Figure 7‐4: Downtown Columbia Transit Center Concept

Source: Downtown Columbia Transit Center Location and Site Analysis Study The Transit Center portion of the project will be funded from the Downtown Columbia property tax increment.

8 Downtown Columbia Transit Center –Location and Site Analysis Study, October 2017



The Downtown Columbia Plan requires General Growth Properties, (now Howard Hughes Corporation) to provide the site prior to issuance of a building permit for the 1.3 million square foot development, however, the timing may be changed to coincide better with the planned redevelopment of the chosen site. As a result the implementation of the new transit center is likely to be in the eight to ten year time frame.

ARUNDEL MILLS-BWI MARSHALL HIGH-FREQUENCY SHUTTLE In this TDP there are individual route plans for multiple routes that include service between Arundel Mills and BWI Marshall Airport. The proposed 505 from Columbia, the proposed 502 from Laurel, and the proposed Annapolis‐BWI‐Arundel Mills services all include service between those two points, with the same stops. In addition, the MTA LocalLink 75 provides service between the airport and Arundel Mills, and there are plans for the WMATA Metrobus B30 to service both points. BWI Marshall and Arundel Mills are two major regional destinations that are in close proximity, and there is a need for service to both of them from a number of points in the region. An alternative to operating all of these routes to both points is to provide a higher frequency shuttle between Arundel Mills and BWI Marshall, allowing each of the longer distance routes to serve one or the other while passengers needing to travel to the other key destination can catch the shuttle. Figure 7‐5 presents a conceptual version of this route, which could initially operate at half hour headways with a future vision of higher frequency. The span of service would need to include seven day per week service, from early morning to the closing of the MTA light rail services



Figure 7‐5: Arundel Mills‐BWI Marshall Airport High Frequency Shuttle Route

CONCLUSION This TDP calls for a significant restructuring and expansion of transit services in Central Maryland, including:

Howard County: Restructuring of Howard County services to short routes, cut travel times, and improve frequencies, followed by expanded frequencies and hours of service, new connections, and expansion of coverage to three new areas.

Anne Arundel County: Expansion of existing services in terms of hours and frequencies, a high‐frequency shuttle between Arundel Mills and BWI Marshall



Airport, creation of Call N’Ride last‐mile/first‐mile demand‐response service in community zones, and a number of new connecting routes to link these communities.

New service in northern Prince George’s County to link new development (Konterra) with Laurel.

It also includes a plan for bringing the region’s local transit services fleet to a point where no active vehicles are operated beyond their expected lifetimes. The goals are to provide safe, reliable service, meeting the needs of persons who wish to use transit to connect to employment in the region, to access medical care, or for shopping or social trip purposes. These improvements in the local transit services set the stage for the next round of improvements that have been presented in this chapter—BRT on US 29, a Howard County East‐West Transitway, a new Downtown Columbia Transit Center, and a Downtown Circulator Shuttle.

Central Maryland Transit Development Plan Report Summary_Howard.pdf · MTA has a framework that...

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Transcript of Central Maryland Transit Development Plan Report Summary_Howard.pdf · MTA has a framework that...